10 years
by Sapadu
Summary: You can't come I have to meet somebody. Who? My fiance. Set ten years after the series ends, with spoilers of course for the anime, manga, and games.
1. Chapter 1

Ten Years

By Sapadu

A/N: I know I should be updating my other fics. I really do... but I can't help it... This just... happened. And, I know, I swore that I would never write Sukisho fanfiction, because I could not make myself do that. But, really, I'm sick of seeing all the other fanfictions where they act so blatantly out of character- at least call each other by the right names...

Oh, and I don't own them. Hell, even my own dvds don't seem to accept that I purchased them.

* * *

"Well, that's it for today. Anyone who has questions, come by the math room after school." Hashiba Sora closed his book, put it in his briefcase, and left the classroom, hearing the students mutter behind his back as he left.

He'd become significantly uncomfortable with the integration of girls into the school- mostly because it meant he had to deal with girls acting admiring and sweet, which was much harder to turn down than the prepubescent boys- but didn't really see much difference.

For some reason, he only remembered student's names for seating chart purposes. It wasn't on purpose or to be mean- he'd just started to get very tired of how predictable the students always were. It had started, he figured, when Seii, Shiina, and Kitamura had graduated.

'But at least I don't have to remind him every single day not to call me 'Sora-niichan' when he was in class...' Sora figured. It had always felt singularly awkward, having to lecture Seii to call him 'Hashiba-sensei'.

Hashiba Sora was very... bored with life right now.

* * *

"Gochiso-sama!" Sora only said it out of habit. Even though Nanami's cooking was still perfect as ever, it somehow had lost it's... uniqueness. He ate with Nanami and Shinichirou every night before going back to his own apartment, but... it wasn't as comforting anymore.

It seemed... very play-like. They only seemed to be acting. Not that Sora was sad or depressed... but he wasn't happy or angry or... anything... anymore, it seemed. Life had gone gray, and he didn't feel... anything, really.

"Hashiba-kun, you're sure everything is alright?" Nanami asked, as he picked up the plates and took them into the kitchen to clean. Sora shrugged.

"I'm fine, Nanami-chan. There's just not a lot happening right now." He grumbled, stretching a little. Shinichirou cast him a look.

"Sora, the student's exams are coming up." He scolded, sternly. Sora stopped himself from yawning- he knew that Shinichirou would take that to mean he didn't care, and no good would come of that.

"Yeah, but it's not like it's swamping me with work. Besides, I mostly just have to grade papers and tests when it's over, not anything REALLY difficult." He said, while Nanami puttered in the kitchen- presumably cleaning dishes and getting out dessert, as the nurse never served meals in a single course.

Maybe it was that his teen years had been so filled with drama and action which had made adult life so mellow. No mad scientist back to torture him? No split personality throwing him out a window? No roommate out for revenge from a years old grudge? Then life was good.

"Are you seeing anyone new, Hashiba-kun?" Nanami asked, reentering the room with portions of castella on two plates. Sora noted that, of course, it meant that Nanami would be feeding Shinichirou from his own plate just as he brought that topic up.

"Nah... I'm taking a break from that for a while." He said, politely beginning to eat the dessert put before him.

"Did something happen with Hiromu-kun?" Nanami continued the conversation, dotingly spearing a piece on a fork and lifting it to his lover's mouth. Sora ignored them.

"No... we still talk and stuff. It's just... we don't feel THAT strongly as before..." Sora muttered, almost sullenly, his gaze shifting towards the window. Shinichirou finished chewing then started to talk.

"Sora, these last ten years, have you felt strongly about ANYTHING at all?" He challenged. Sora shot him a dirty look.

"I can too feel sincerely, Niichan- not like you, who used to molest me and my classmates for sleeping during class, omae ero-jiji." Sora spat back at him. Nanami held up his hands, trying to pacify the ensuing argument.

* * *

"Then again... maybe Niichan's right..." Sora muttered to himself as he walked back to his home for the night, "Matsuri's the only one who I really talk to... Ichikawa and Nagase went and eloped somewhere... and Fujimori hasn't even sent a letter or called, even though he said he would..."

Sora hated to admit it, but he missed it, kind of.

"I wonder where everyone is now..." He mumbled, looking up at the sky. The glow from street lamps, the wires on telephone poles, and the branches of trees planted between the sidewalk and the street all obscured his vision of the moon and stars, but he kept staring.

What he needed was some way to get drunk. It was the weekend tomorrow, anyway- he could afford it to have a little hangover to sleep in over. It would make this weekend at least a little different- they'd been becoming so monotonous.

* * *

One six-pack and he was under the table. No way that he was getting that old...

These were Sora's first thoughts upon regaining consciousness in his bed. It was the same time he'd normally wake up, and a hangover was in full force. His mouth tasted like alcohol- and not drinking alcohol, but the kind Nanami used to sterilize thermometers and the like- while it felt as dry as cotton. Hell, even Toushizou smelled like sake.

Sora wanted to stay in bed, until the phone rang. He groped for it, before finally knocking it off the hook, so it fell from it's perch and landed next to his head on the pillow.

"...moshi mosh..." Was all he managed, before he heard Matsuri's voice.

"Sora? You sound horrible! Are you okay?" Of course, leave it to Matsuri to fuss, ask too many questions at once, and be loud at the same time.

"...Matsuri... it's too early..." He muttered as best he could. Long sentences hurt to put together right now.

"Sora? Sora??? Are you drunk?" Matsuri's voice sounded shrill over the reciever.

"...I was... last night..." Sora managed, slowly. Matsuri made a noise as though he understood, and immediately started pestering him to get some water, something to eat, and various cures for hangovers. With every word that came through the phone, Sora vowed to hang-up as soon as Matsuri paused to draw breath.

This was, of course, assuming Matsuri would do so.

"How've things been with Hiromu-kun?" He then asked. Sora groaned and wished he had a tape recording of the story every time someone kept asking- for some reason, people seemed to keep forgetting that, yes, Sora was human and, no, just because you love someone doesn't necessarily it means forever and eternity with them.

"We broke up about two weeks ago..." Sora managed, getting to his feet and assuming a more human pose as he walked into his kitchen to get some water and maybe crackers. Matsuri sighed over the phone.

"So-raa... When I told you that sometimes relationships end, I didn't mean you can go from person to person without caring about them." His friend whined. Sora's vow to slam down the phone was suddenly amended to if he heard another weird noise come out of Matsuri's mouth.

"I DON'T." He argued, feeling a bit of deja vu come over him, and trying to forget exactly when he'd heard the cold comfort of 'sometimes relationships end' from the money-making schemer, "You were also the one who told me 'sometimes feelings for the people who you thought you loved change'."

"Sora... you haven't had a steady relationship for the last ten years. That's not feelings changing." Matsuri's voice was taking on a lecturing tone that seemed to have been adopted from Minato-sensei.

"You make it sound like I've been hopping from man to man every week." Sora grumbled, plopping some ice cubes in his cup, "Hiromu and I were going out for about a year- that's longer than Fujimori and I even KNEW each other." Well, technically, that wasn't true, but it was all that Sora could remember that they'd known each other. Matsuri gave a pained sigh, as though he was thinking along similar lines.

"...I just don't want to see you hurt again, okay?" Matsuri said, and Sora's horrible headache seemed to disappear, just enough for him to hear how sincere the sentiment was.

"...I'll be fine... don't worry." Sora reassured him, taking his water back to his bed, "I'm thinking of just not dating anyone for a while- I mean, it's not like I'll die if I don't have a boyfriend or anything... You don't..." Matsuri sighed on the other end.

"But that's because Sora and Nao-kun are my friends and our eternal friendship gets me through!" He piped up. Sora rolled his eyes.

"Fujimori hasn't written or called in ten years." Sora reminded him. Matsuri was quiet on the other end for a long moment, before speaking again.

"...Well, I'll see you tomorrow, then!" He said brightly, and when Sora's memory faltered, explained, "We're meeting for lunch tomorrow, remember?" Sora blinked at the phone, as suddenly the dial tone sounded, which said that Matsuri had hung up.

"What the hell?" Sora muttered to himself, "Matsuri no aitsu... he shouldn't hang up on people before they can answer..." Placing the phone back in it's place and drinking his water, Sora curled back up under his blanket, hugging Toushizou, and attempting to sleep off the rest of his hangover.

* * *

Sometime in the mid afternoon, Sora woke up again and found his way out of the apartment just for a healthy dose of sunshine and fresh air.

It was that which led to him stumbling against the person who he met on the street. For a moment, he turned around to grumpily ask they watch where they were going, only to spot a very familiar head of pink hair. Almost on instinct, Sora reached back and grabbed the wrist of the person.

"Fujimori..." He blurted out. The head snapped around to show a very familiar face.

"Hashiba? What are you doing here?" Asked the puzzled Fujimori Sunao. Sora wrinkled his nose and let go of Sunao's hand.

"I was just taking a walk- I should be asking you, though, since we haven't seen each other in ten years." Sora snapped. Sunao made a huffing noise- one which still sounded like the bratty Sunao that had been Sora's roommate a little over ten years ago.

"So, we see each other again, and immediately you start complaining? Maybe it should have been eleven years." Sunao snipped, wiping his sleeve off as though Sora had gotten it dirty. Now that Sora thought about it, Sunao had changed a great deal- he was taller, for sure and his face had become a bit more thin, yet still looked like a girl's face. He'd cut his hair, but it was still long enough that he had a short ponytail in the back, held back with the usual red ribbon. But what struck Sora was how nicely he was dressed- a suit jacket with khaki pants and a black button-up shirt. Hell, he was even wearing a tie, which matched his pants.

A far cry from the mismatched jogging sweats that Sora was wearing.

"Who's complaining? You were the one who didn't keep in touch even though you said you would." Sora shot back. Sunao just crossed his arms and huffily snapped his head in the opposite direction- just like he always used to whenever Sora had a point and he didn't want to admit it.

"I've just been busy, Hashiba- I actually work hard and earn my living." He replied, not saying it, but still heavily implying that Sora didn't. Sora bristled, but kept his head.

"So what's so important that you can't even find time to even call once in ten years?" He demanded. Sunao looked Sora right in the eye as he replied.

"Research." He bit. Sora froze and immediately his mind reverted to a memory of a laboratory and men twice his size in white lab coats.

"...Fujimori... are you... okay?" Sora asked, cautiously, after a long pause. Sunao blushed a little before turning away.

"Not THAT kind of research, Hashiba- I just spend a lot of time in libraries and the like, conducting surveys, analyzing statistics, things like that. Don't treat me like I'm child who needs to be taken care of." Sunao grumbled, irritably. Sora felt his ears go red for misinterpreting what Sunao had said, before bristling again.

"I'm not- I just wanted to be sure that you weren't at a job you didn't like, that's all." He returned. He had a feeling that if Matsuri were here, he'd comment that there was so much denial going around in the air, you could cut it with a knife.

"Are you still talking about that? It's in the past, Hashiba- I've gotten over it, already, why haven't you?" Sunao replied, but without any real venom in his voice- it wasn't shaking or anything, but it just sounded very bland, like Sunao was trying to hide something. Sora swallowed hard and managed a reply in the same bland voice.

"I have so gotten over it. But since I haven't heard from you for so long, I didn't know if YOU had." He shot back, having a feeling that they could circle this topic for hours if given the chance.

"Well, now you know, so stop bringing it up." Sunao said, with finality, walking towards the crosswalk. Sora pursued him, stubbornly.

"Oi, matte, Fujimori! I thought you were dead or something for ten years- we're going to talk." He called. Sunao only paused for the light.

"No, we aren't- I've got to be somewhere, now." He replied. Sora huffed and crossed his arms.

"Then I'll come with you." He insisted. Sunao's head snapped around and he glared at Sora.

"You can't come- I have to meet somebody." Sunao said, quite sternly. Sora glared back.

"Who?" He demanded. Sunao's gaze softened, just a little, but it made his next words even harsher.

"My fiancé." And as the light changed, Sunao walked off briskly, leaving Sora standing shocked, staring after him.


	2. Chapter 2

10 years

By Sapadu

A/N: If you sue me for copyright infringements, you will get a loud 'Ha ha ha ha ha... you're serious?' and MAYBE the gum off the bottom of my shoe. Because that's about all I have to give in a court case.

"Fiancé... huh?" Sora poked at his drink with his straw. Matsuri was late and while Sora normally wouldn't care, he had really wanted to talk about his encounter with Sunao the other day, and if Matsuri didn't get here soon, Sora's lunch break was going to be over and he'd have to go back to the classroom.

"Sora! So-ra!" Ah, speak of the devil... or perhaps the devil himself, depending on what Matsuri was up to this time. Sora grumpily turned to face the chipper blond.

"You're late, you know." He groused while Matsuri took a seat, still smiling cheerfully.

"Aw, but you wouldn't have wanted me showing up without THIS would you?" Sora bent his head over his store-bought bento so he didn't see exactly what Matsuri was holding up, but the rustle of paper let him know that it was nothing he wanted to see.

"Zettai dame!" Sora said, not looking up.

Matsuri didn't talk for a while, before he finally said.

"Sora... it's a picture... at least look at it." He finally said, which drew Sora's attention. He looked up, mostly out of surprise, to be met, face-to-face, with a photograph of the three of them- Matsuri, Sunao, and himself- on their graduation day. Sora took the picture from Matsuri's fingers with a sigh.

"You said it yourself, yesterday- Nao-kun hasn't been in contact since graduation, so I figured you'd at least want a picture." Matsuri explained with a slight smile. Sora sighed again. Funny how ten years had gone by... but there were still some things that just didn't change- Sora should have known, as this kind of thing was exactly what Matsuri would have done back then, too.

"He hasn't changed..." Sora mumbled, staring at the picture- it was a rare shot in which all three of them were smiling and exuberantly celebrating together. Sora had always been the one who smiled the most- Matsuri had shared with him after graduation that he'd considered sometimes trying to win the title from him, but Matsuri, being vice-president and having a lot more responsibility, had to be serious more often by default- and Nao had almost never smiled or laughed out loud.

"It's a picture, Sora." Matsuri reminded him, gently. Sora shook his head, running a hand over his face and through his hair.

"...Not that... I mean..." Sora leaned back in his chair, "I ran into Fujimori, yesterday... we talked a little... more like argued through it all... he hasn't changed a bit..." Just talking about it made Sora feel pretty exhausted. Matsuri was either not surprised or hiding it very well, because he continued with his lunch.

"Oh... So, Nao-kun's doing well, then?" Matsuri asked, keeping the conversation moving.

"...I guess..." Sora mumbled, before finally saying what was bothering, "He ran off saying he was going to meet his fiancé..." Matsuri again had that look which indicated a lack of surprise, and it was both starting to make Sora feel nervous and irritated at the same time.

"Matsuri, teme... would you say something, at least?!" Sora finally demanded, getting sick of how suspiciously quiet the blond was being. Matsuri stopped eating for a moment and looked straight at Sora.

"Sora... did you ask Nao-kun why he hadn't kept in touch?" Matsuri asked, leaning forward, like he was investigating a very serious matter. Sora would have sweat dropped, except that Matsuri was being honestly serious, instead of the joking, goofy serious he was when he was just being a drama queen.

"...Y-yeah... He said he was busy with... his research... since he's like a data analyst or something now..." Sora replied, looking away uncomfortably. Matsuri's expression changed, and now he looked rather upset about something, "Doushita, Matsuri?"

"Nao-kun... that he said he was too busy... was a lie." Matsuri declared, looking straight at Sora, who blinked for a moment, "And he isn't a researcher like he told you he was- Nao-kun is hiding something."

"Oi, matte... How do you know if Fujimori was lying or not? You haven't seen or heard from him, either..." Sora interrupted, but his voice fading as Matsuri held his gaze.

"Nao-kun and I have been in contact consistently these past ten years- we called each other, sent e-mails, and even saw each other for coffee sometimes... And every time, Nao-kun said he'd call you, but he just never was able to catch you or leaving messages on your phone which you didn't return." Matsuri replied, each word making Sora feel even more and more shocked, then angry.

"...So... Fujimori was..." Sora said, slowly, as Matsuri nodded.

"I don't know why Nao-kun is avoiding you... but..." And Sora suddenly recognized the rebirth of the manic glint in Matsuri's eye- the one that used to be reserved for Jack-of-all-Trades Academy and other moneymaking schemes... "Nao-kun said he wanted me to meet his fiancé and that she wanted to meet his old childhood friend... so why don't you come along next week?" Matsuri asked, grinning madly. Sora blinked for a moment, then managed to form words.

"Ano sa... Matsuri..."

"Nani?" Matsuri asked, still smiling broadly.

"...You scare me sometimes..."

* * *

"Good Morning, Nao-kun!" Matsuri had always used English for that, and Sora never understood why. It was even more dubious, because it was lunchtime, so 'Morning' wasn't the appropriate time to be using. Sunao was sitting at a table outside a coffeehouse with a young woman with short blond hair and a round face and turned to smile as he heard Matsuri's greeting, but stopped short when he saw Sora right behind him.

"M-Matsuri-chan... w-why is..." Sunao stammered, indignantly pointing at Sora, and looking quite horrified that Sora had come along. Sunao's fiancé also turned to look at Sora, smiling in a peculiar way which made Sora wonder if he'd met her before... no, that was stupid- the only women who he actually knew were the girls in his class.

"Hashiba... Sora?" She asked, which made Sora blink, then nod, smiling awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head, before he caught the somewhat knowing and mischievous look that Matsuri was giving Sunao, whom turned away, blushing a little.

"L-last week when we ran into each other, you made me late, Hashiba... S-so, I had to explain everything and... t-that's how she knows your name." He stammered, sitting back down as dignified as possible. The woman was smiling in a similar way to Matsuri at her fiancé, before turning to greet them properly.

"My name is Michiya Nakou. Yoroshiku- Hashiba Sora-san, Honjou Matsuri-san." The woman said, bowing a little before they all took their seats. There was an awkward silence, as Sunao was obviously disgruntled at Sora's presence, before Matsuri brought it up.

"Nao-kun, you kept telling me that you couldn't get in touch with Sora, so I figured I'd save you the trouble and asked him when we met for lunch on Monday!" He explained, brightly, without even a hint of accusing in his voice, which made Sunao shift slightly, embarrassed that he'd been caught, but even more uncomfortable that nobody was needling him about it.

"Good thing, too- since Nao-kun's talked about Sora so much, I was wondering when I was going to meet him." Nakou agreed, nodding slightly, as though pleased with herself for some reason. Sora blinked and glanced at Sunao, who was blushing again.

"Fujimori... talked about me?" Sora asked, surprised. Nakou put her fingertips together.

"Atari mai daiou! There were times that I thought I knew you just from all the things I'd heard about you from Nao-kun! You're a very important person to him, after all..." Nakou said, as though informing Sora about something obvious. Sora was quiet for a moment, before smiling a bit more congenially and continuing.

"Sounds like you two know each other well. How long have you known Fujimori?" He asked. Nakou held up three fingers.

"Three weeks." She replied, in a chipper tone. Sora's eyes bulged out of their sockets.

"EEEH?! Hontou desu ka?" He asked, positively shocked. Nakou tilted her head before Sunao spoke up.

"It's an arranged marriage, Hashiba- it's actually more common than you think." Sunao informed him, quite sharply. Sora stared at his old friend for a few moments, before turning to look at Nakou, then Matsuri, then back to Sunao.

"Don't worry, though- I wouldn't dream of stealing his heart away from you!" Nakou added in, with a wink. Sunao went quite red at this.

"Nakou-chan... you shouldn't..." He protested, before Matsuri added in.

"Sora isn't seeing anyone right now, too... There's no obstacle there..." He said, nodding wisely. Sora shot him a dirty look, but looked back as Nakou spoke to Sunao again.

"Nao-kun, you should reconsider- good-looking ones like Sora don't come along every day, you know!" She said, nudging her fiancé with her elbow. Sunao's cheeks were still painfully pink.

"Nakou-chan, Matsuri-chan, PLEASE! This isn't funny!" He moaned. Sora was still giving Nakou a perplexed look.

"Ano sa..." He finally muttered, "Why are you trying to pair us up, even though you're his fiancé?" Nakou sat up a little straighter, blinking at his question, before she smiled.

"Because I'm 'Nakou-chan'." She answered. Sora blinked, nonplussed, before Matsuri explained,

"Her name is written with the same characters as 'nakoudo'- in other words, her name means 'matchmaker'." Sora stared between the two blonds for a moment, before he realized exactly why she looked so familiar.

"Omae..." Sunao interrupted him with a bossy tone of voice.

"Hashiba, don't use language like that with a lady." Sora glared at his former roommate, who glared back with an even stronger look, until Sora looked away again. He couldn't help but feel a little... resentful- was that it?- that Sunao was being so... not protective but... something...

"...Anata..." Sora started over, as that was the best he could do, "...You remind me of Matsuri..."

There was a pause, before Sunao burst out laughing.

"Ha-Ha-Hashiba... I can't believe I didn't notice... they look exactly alike..." He snickered, trying to stifle the noise but failing miserably. The two in question looked between themselves, before Matsuri smiled and stood up, pulling Nakou up by the arm with him.

"Then, the Matsuri-duo will humbly excuse themselves to get drinks for everyone!" He announced. Nakou seemed agreeable to this, as she joined in.

"We'll leave Sora and Nao-kun to talk about everything they've missed in ten years!" Sunao stood, reaching after them as the two blond went off on their appointed errand.

"Oi, matte-ou, Matsuri-chan, Nakou-chan!" He protested, but they ignored him, until Sunao slumped back into his chair.

* * *

"Nice to have a partner in crime, at least." Nakou muttered, as they waited in line to order everyone's coffees. Matsuri smiled.

"Sora and Nao-kun... both of them are important to me, too... I'd like to see them happy before something happens they can't reverse." He said, reflectively, as Nakou gave him an encouraging smile.

"I know how you feel- Nao-kun has been a good friend so far... I'd hate for him to be stuck with me when I'm not really who he's happiest with..." She agreed. Matsuri's eyes glittered with a kind of devious joy.

"With that in mind- Operation Re-Matchmake Sora and Nao-kun is go!" He concluded.

A/N: It occurred to me that I should put in some translations, since there's been a lot of broken Japanese in this- I'm sorry, but when I watch the DVDs, sometimes, my brain will hear their lines in half-Japanese, half-English, where the phrases I understand will stay Japanese, and the stuff that I don't understand will be translated into what I've memorized the subtitles as saying.

Bento- Lunch (technically 'lunch BOX' but can also refer to the food inside)

Zettai dame- No way!

Matsuri, teme- Matsuri, you jerk...

Doushita- What is it?

Oi, matte- Hey, wait

Ano sa- (Doesn't really mean anything- more of an attention grabbing noise when you're at a loss for words)

Yoroshiku- Please regard me kindly, or Nice to meet you

Atari mai daio!- Of course!

Hontou desu ka?- Really?

Omae and Anata are both ways of saying 'You' but 'Omae' is generally not as polite as 'Anata' or 'Kimi'.


	3. Chapter 3

10 years

By Sapadu

A/N: If anyone wants to know what Nakou-chan looks like, I uploaded a doll of her at deviantart(dot)com. Here's the IRL: www(dot)deviantart(dot)com/deviation/54197280/

I'm a college student who's starving and homeless- don't sue me.

* * *

"So, it's an arranged marriage, then..." Sora asked, not looking at Sunao, whom was also looking the other way. 

"Yes, Hashiba- arranged." Sunao repeated, looking annoyed that the blue-haired idiot seated next to him hadn't gotten it the first time it was said.

Sora cast his old friend a look before glancing away.

"Demo... It just seems... the Fujimori I remember... wouldn't settle into something like this..." Sora muttered, which earned him a very vicious glare, before Sunao burst out.

"Maybe I'm not the Fujimori you remember, Hashiba! I'm not your property- I'm allowed to change, or are you saying that because we were together for four months, you get to tell me what I can and cannot do?" He snapped, which made Sora jump backwards- more from the venom in Sunao's voice than the words spoken- before he looked away again.

"...Gomen... Fujimori..." He mumbled, and it didn't sound sincere, even to his own ears, "...'Kedo... I can't imagine that you would willingly go along with... this... if you weren't happy with it... we broke it off because you weren't happy with me anymore... so, why..." Sora asked, but it sounded more like an excuse than actually how jealous Sora felt at the moment. Sunao still wasn't looking at him.

"... I'm not unhappy, Hashiba... Nakou-chan... she's been a very good friend, in the time that I've known her..." Sunao explained, still not meeting Sora's eyes, "Her parents want her to get married, because they think she's the right age... someone at work thought we'd be a good match and passed my name along... and we've... gotten along, well enough.

"Sometimes... Nakou-chan reminds me a lot like you... when we were kids... and other times, like Matsuri-chan... and then other times, like Nii-chan and Nanami-sensei... I feel like I'm at home again, and it makes... it makes me feel like... all the things which happened and that I did to everyone... as though they never happened... or haven't happened yet..." Sunao was staring firmly at his hands, still clasped on the table.

Sora opened his mouth to speak at the mention of that, before he shut it again.

"We're adults now, Hashiba... we've got to get over this sort of thing without Nii-chan and Nanami-sensei treating us like we need to be taken care of... Nakou-chan... is mature enough, but also a good enough friend that... she makes it a bit easier for me to forget." Sunao added, a firm edge coming to his voice, and Sora had a feeling that Sunao was thinking something that he wasn't saying.

"So... you don't need to worry about if I'm happy- dekurasai..." Sunao concluded, giving his old friend a small smile. Sora met his eyes for a moment, then looked away- something about that smile on Fujimori's face... seemed very out of place, like he was hiding something.

After a moment of wondering where the Matsuri-duo had gotten to, Sora looked at Sunao and finally said,

"I just wasn't sure how you were all these years. I heard absolutely nothing from you, and you'd been so vague about what you wanted to do after graduation... I didn't know if you'd gotten sick, kidnapped, or killed... I just didn't know what was happening with you and what wasn't..." Sora glanced at his former roommate, whose face was very auspiciously blank compared to a moment ago, "...Fujimori?"

"You're not my mother, Hashiba- don't treat me like a child." Sunao finally snapped. Sora's jaw dropped.

"Nandato? Fujimori, I was worried about you! You could have just said that I didn't need to! And either way, you broke your promise about keeping in touch, so it's not MY fault!" Sora fumed, standing up and flailing his arms while pointing at Sunao, who glared back.

"Don't pin it on ME, Hashiba- you could have contacted me first!" He replied, looking like he also might add in how it was rude to point.

"How could I when I didn't know where you were or how to find you?" Sora demanded, and Sunao's head snapped around like it was on a string.

"What made you so sure that I knew where YOU were? I'm not a mind-reader- I didn't know your phone number or address just because I wanted to!" Sunao demanded, and Sora's retaliation was stopped by Matsuri and Nakou returning with coffee.

"Na-a... did you get everything worked out?" Masturi asked, while Nakou handed Sora his tea and Sunao turned away.

"Only that Hashiba's still an idiot." He groused, before Nakou swatted his head with a napkin.

"Nao-kun, that's not very nice."

* * *

"Hashiba, quit following me!" Sunao snapped as Sora's steps alternated with his. Sora gave him a look. 

"I'm just going the same way as you." He insisted, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his sweatjacket- his old favorite black one with the red and yellow stripes... how it had lasted Sora ten years was still beyond him, before he perked up, "Hey, why don't you come over to Nii-chan and Nanami-chan's place for dinner? I told them I saw you and that Matsuri would be bringing me along to see you today... they both were really concerned and they want to know how you've been!"

Sunao blinked, looked shocked, then indifferent, turning away again.

"I can't, Hashiba- I've got work tomorrow and I can't be up late." He responded, icily. Sora reached out and grabbed his elbow before Sunao could run away.

"It won't be THAT late- and I can bug Nii-chan to drive you home if you live too far away." Sora urged, tugging at Sunao's arm much like a child begging his mother for candy would. Sora could have sworn he heard his former roommate sigh, and then heard his response.

"Iyou... Just let me go back to my apartment and change clothes." Sunao sounded thoroughly worn out- but, then, Matsuri and Nakou had done nothing but tease him all afternoon, so it was no surprise. Sora let go of his arm and continued walking, too.

"Daijobu... I've got to change, too- Nanami-chan said he was making something special tonight!" He agreed, acting like a little kid once again as he approached the doors to the apartment building he lived in. Sunao stopped at the door.

"Hashiba... you don't have to walk me home." He said, distastefully. Sora blinked at him, then frowned.

"This is where I live." He grumbled. Sunao's look of distaste seemed to intensify, if that was at all possible, before he entered in and went to the elevator, with Sora on his heels. Their hands touched as they both reached to press the same floor button, both of them jerking away, before glancing at each other, then away.

"...Omae...You live on the same floor..." Sora muttered and Sunao made a humming noise that meant yes. They didn't look at each other and when the elevator reached the selected floor, they both tried to make the other go out, first, until, finally, Sora got fed up and stepped out.

Both men continued walking, more or less step for step, until Sunao turned in to his apartment, taking out his keys. Sora stopped, as well, staring. Sunao looked over his shoulder and glared.

"I'm not inviting you in, if that's what you're expecting." He snapped. Sora shook his head, numbly, before pointing at the apartment next door.

"We've been neighbors the entire time." He muttered, and indeed, the mailbox of the neighboring apartment read 'Hashiba Sora', while Sunao's mailbox was suspiciously blank.

Sunao stared for a moment, before darting inside his apartment and slamming the door in Sora's face.

* * *

"I've found him... at last."

A/N: Next chapter- Ran will show up! And there is a lot of foreshadowing, which is actually me taking liberties with how Nao acted in the series, and the events in the later games, so, if you look for it, you should be able to figure out what's going on.

Translations:

Demo- But

Gomen- Sorry

'Kedo- (slurred abbreviation of 'Dakedo') But still...

-dekurasai- A polite suffix to sentences when requesting something; equivalent to 'if you please'

Nandato?- What the hell? (something which Sora seems to say a lot when he's confused and angry)

Iyou- This is the best way I could figure to spell it, but it essentially means 'That's okay' or 'Sure, fine'.

Daijobu- Don't worry or It's okay (can mean either in this scenario, but also refers to when a person is injured)


	4. Chapter 4

10 years

By Sapadu

A/N: Someone pointed out that I had made some spelling errors. Thank you- I was at a quadrary at how to spell those words. Thanks to everyone else for your kind reviews- I feel so grateful.

Again, I'm poor and I don't own Sukisho- Nakou-chan, maybe, but most decidedly NOT Sukisho.

* * *

"Uwa-a! Nanami-chan no dinner!" Sora praised as the four finished their meal. Sunao was still humbly replacing his chopsticks and wiping his lips, and thus said nothing. 

"I'm glad you liked it, Hashiba-kun." Nanami replied with a smile, picking up the plates.

"Arigatou gozimasu..." Sunao added in, bowing as best he could while still sitting. Nanami continued to smile in his doting, motherly way.

"We were happy to see you again, Fujimori-kun. I understand that work must be taxing, but I'm glad to see you doing well." He said, with real concern in his voice.

Sunao smiled back, but Sora could see that it didn't reach his eyes.

"I'm sorry for causing you to worry." Sunao replied, while Shinichirou glanced over his mug at him.

"You're right- you did cause us worry." He lectured sharply and it didn't sound like he was teasing.

"Niichan, that's a mean thing to say." Sora reprimanded, though he was secretly agreeing. Shinichirou shrugged and stood up.

"De wa... Sunao, if you need to get home early, I can drive you unless you live close by..." He offered and Sunao shook his head, his bangs covering his eyes.

"I can walk... I found out today that Hashiba and I are in the same building... again..." Sunao added on that last word with distaste, which made Shinichirou smirk a little.

"Well then: Sora, you stay here and help Nanami with the dishes. I'll walk Sunao home." He said, retrieving Sunao's and his own jackets. Both the guests stood and protested this arrangement.

"Oi, matte- why do I have to stay behind and clean?" Sora sulked, while Sunao, though a bit more reasonable, also protested,

"And I don't need to be escorted home!"

"Are you saying that you two regret being INVITED to dinner, tonight?" Shinichirou asked, with a slightly evil smile, which seemed to make them both reconsider.

Meanwhile, Nanami puttered around in the kitchen, letting Shinichirou do as h e would, and was thus prepared with a plate to hand to Sora when the blue-haired man resentfully slouched into the kitchen.

"Niichan no aitsu... Nanami-chan, you were almost finished, anyway..." Sora groused, glancing at the pile of cleaned dishes, which probably meant the one he was cleaning was his own.

Nanami took up a dry cloth and started to dry the clean dishes, putting them away before he looked, very seriously, at Sora.

"Hashiba-kun, when you met Fujimori-kun two weeks ago, did he say anything to you?" Nanami asked, while Sora blinked for a moment.

"Kind of... we mostly just argued..." Then, something occurred to Sora, "...Well, he did mention that he was a researcher and when I asked if he was okay with that..." Sora trailed off and Nanami stared at the glass in his hands, before he looked back up at Sora.

"Hashiba-kun... is it possible that Fujimori-kun is hiding something from you?" Nanami asked, as Sora looked shocked at the proposal.

"Fujimori wouldn't..." He started to shout, except the look on Nanami's face stopped him.

"Ano tokii... Fujimori-kun acted so sincerely and all of us believed him... even myself and Shinichirou... and in the end, almost all of us were hurt... Hashiba-kun and Fujimori-kun the most... I wouldn't want something like that to happen again..."

_"Dakara mou... shimpai shinai de kudasai..."_

"Especially since Hashiba-kun and Fujimori-kun were almost taken away again... because we'd been so careless..."

"Nanami-chan..." Sora's gaze softened as he looked at Nanami, whose expression was mostly unreadable, but it was very obvious he still felt guilty.

The door opened, then closed as Shinichirou returned.

"Sora." He said, and once he had Sora's attention, proceeded to give him strict instructions, "Since you are living next door to Sunao, I want you to keep an eye on him."

"Oi, matte ou- you want me to spy on Fujimori?" Sora demanded, indignantly. Shinichirou nodded.

"Furthermore, if any of his behavior seems strange, I want you to tell the both of us as soon as you can. Ii yo?" He pressed. Sora looked between his two surrogate parents before relenting.

* * *

"Niichan no aitsu... what the hell is he thinking putting me up to this?" Sora mumbled as he opened his sliding door just enough to let a breeze in from his balcony. 

What Sora wasn't expecting was to be woken up around midnight. At first, it sounded like his sliding door rattling, but after a few moments of hearing nothing, he dismissed it as the wind.

A tap that sounded like something near his bed made Sora's eyes open to see the shadow of someone's head on the wall, it's proximity meaning they were probably standing over his bed. With a start, Sora turned over to see a familiar figure, topped with fluffy pink hair.

"...Fujimori..." He demanded, sitting up and glaring, before he realized his first impression was off- the way that Fujimori was looking at him didn't seem quite right... something was different, before it hit Sora.

Sunao's eyes weren't their usual shade of soft pink. Instead, they were glowing a bright ruby red.

"Ran." Sora growled, recognizing the look which Ran had always given him when Yoru hadn't come out.

"Took you long enough to figure it out." Ran sneered, sitting himself down on Sora's mattress without being invited, before leaning his face close to Sora's, "And after all the time and effort it took me to find you, that's all you have to say for yourself?"

Sora narrowed his eyes.

"What do you want, Ran?" He asked, with a glare. Ran put a hand on his chest and leaned in, lips hovering dangerously close to Sora's ear.

"That should be obvious." Ran whispered, coyly. Sora lifted an arm to push him away, turning to lie back down.

"Yoru's gone, Ran. He left ten years ago and he's not coming back. Give it up." Sora muttered, turning away. He didn't see the expression on Ran's face.

"Yoru won't come back? Zettai?" Ran asked. Sora didn't look back up.

"Zettai." He replied.

There was a pause, before Sora felt Ran's hand touch his shoulder. Sora shook it off, and then Ran spoke again.

"Then... what about Sora coming out?" Ran asked, which surprised Sora enough that he turned over to see a very vulnerable expression on Ran's face.

"Didn't you wonder... Since Yoru left years ago, why I was still around?" Ran asked, his face crumbling. Sora blinked, before Ran continued, turning to look down at his feet.

"Nao only keeps me around... because he's lonely. Demo... Nao doesn't care whenever I'm lonely... just so... he doesn't have to be all by himself..." Ran explained, and Sora couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Ran, in spite of himself. Sora sat up and stared at Ran's back.

It occurred to him that this might be just an act to gain sympathy, but he had the distinct impression that Ran was being sincere. Sora raised a hand and put it on Ran's shoulder.

"Omae wa... Fujimori just keeps you around... because you're both... lonely?" Sora asked. Ran nodded, silently, and Sora wondered exactly what he was supposed to do with this. After a moment, Ran turned to look back at Sora.

"Onegai... onegai... even if Yoru's never coming back... couldn't you just let me pretend? Couldn't you let me stay and pretend that Yoru's still here, next to me?" Ran pleaded, and he honestly looked like he was going to cry. Sora blinked for a moment, pondering, before he lifted an arm and pulled Ran down next to him, then reaching up for his alarm clock.

"What time does Fujimori have to wake up tomorrow?" Sora asked, finding the set button. Ran peered up at him.

"4:30..." Ran replied, pulling up the blanket in a very childlike gesture. Sora let out an aggravated sigh.

"Nandato... Fujimori had a hard time getting up in time for classes at school... and why so early, anyway?" He groused, setting his alarm, anyway. Ran looked away, pulling the blanket over his nose so his next words were muffled.

"Work starts at 6:00 for him..." Ran explained, before mumbling, "I hate when Nao goes to work... It reminds me so much of that place... and..." But Ran stopped, a slight shudder going through his body. Sora frowned, but didn't pry, mostly because he was still too tired, as he lay back down. Ran pressed himself closer to Sora's body, shyly putting an arm around his waist.

With a much-put-upon-sigh, Sora put his arms around Ran's shoulders, fingers of one of his hands interlacing with the unbound strands of Ran's pink hair as the other snuggled in closer.

Fujimori never slept beside him, Sora reflected- in all the time they'd spent together, they'd never slept next to each other... As he drifted off to sleep, Sora wondered if this was how Yoru had always felt when he'd held Ran and if this was how he would have felt if it had been Sunao he was holding.

* * *

Fujimori Sunao flailed around for his alarm clock to try and hit the snooze button and was disgruntled when he felt his arm connect with nothing but air next to the bed. 

Then, something nudged his side.

"Fujimori, get up..." A voice muttered and Sunao's eyes flew wide open as he realized he was neither in his own apartment, nor alone.

With a mild shriek, Sunao kicked until his bedmate, one Hashiba Sora, rolled into the wall and he fell off the bed.

"HA-HA-HA-HASHIBA!" Sunao shouted, which Sora replied to by pulling Toushizou over his head like a pillow to block his ears.

"Ran came in last night. Now, turn off the alarm and get going." Sora's voice was muffled, but still distinct.

Sunao bristled at being given orders, but turned off the annoying alarm before glancing down at Sora, who looked nice and warm in his bed.

"May I please use your shower, Hashiba?" Sunao asked, still not sure of how Ran had managed to get in. Sora made a noise that sounded a lot like 'Hai', so Sunao invited himself into the bathroom.

It was a sty, just like everywhere else in the apartment, but had some semblance of order- all soap was on the counters or in baskets, towels were hung up at least somewhere, and there didn't seem to be any mold growing in the tub, sink, or shower. Sunao reached out to straighten one of the towels which Sora had just stuffed onto the drying rack, all bunched up. It was still damp from not drying properly- Sora had probably used it yesterday morning... or maybe last night.

Sunao pulled it off the rack and held it up to his nose, breathing in the scent- musky and tangy, but very subtle. It could only be Sora's natural smell, as all tonics and shampoos for men had a stronger, more definite scent to them.

Sunao shook himself and quickly stripped and stepped into the shower. He'd have to borrow a bathrobe, he suddenly realized, but why not- he was using everything else... Sunao washed himself quickly, not even bothering with his hair this morning. He felt his face, wondering if he needed to shave, before his eyes fell upon a razor in the basket.

So... Hashiba was shaving? The image made Sunao's head hurt- Sora's face had felt so smooth to the touch and he didn't even have the muzzle of color that a beard and mustache naturally put on a man's chin... not even any scratches from when he'd cut himself...

Hashiba's just good with a razor, then. Or he also used some kind of wax or crème with it... That was all. This shouldn't have been bothering Sunao so much... Then, why was it?

Sunao stepped out and dried off quickly, now with a clearer idea of how Ran had moved around last night.

* * *

Sora hid even further under his blanket as he heard a knock on the door. The knock persisted, so he hauled himself out of bed to the door. His clock read 5:15. 

"Nandaiyo..." Sora grumbled to see Sunao on the doorstep with, what looked like, a lunch box and his bathrobe.

"...Fujimori?" He mumbled. Sunao thrust his hands foreward.

"It's just because I don't want to owe you for being considerate enough to set the alarm for me. Just take it, Hashiba."

Sora blinked, groggily, then finally accepted the bento and bathrobe before Sunao stormed off. After blinking for a moment, Sora returned inside and curled up under his blankets for another hour and a half of sleep.

* * *

A/N: These chapters are getting slowly longer. The part in italics is Nanami having a flashback- it's Nao's line from Episode two when he's reassuring Nanami. 

In the next chapter, we will have more deliberate matchmaking. Everyone look forward to it- de kudasai!

Translations:

Uwa! Nanami-chan no dinner!- Yum! Nanami-chan's dinner!

Arigatou gozimasu- ...You should know this one if you're into anime at all.

De wa- Well, then...

Ano tokii- That time...

_Flashback line_ - With that in mind... please don't worry about me.

Zettai- Ever. (In other words, it's a word to establish absolute-ness)

Onegai?- Please?

Hai- ...See the comment that went with 'Arigatou'

Nandaiyo?- Another way of saying Sora's favorite phrase of 'What the hell?'


	5. Chapter 5

10 years

By Sapadu

A/N: Again, I thank everyone who has reviewed so far- I think I know what I'm going to do, now, so please don't worry. In this chapter- matchmaking occurs... sorta...

If I owned even a small portion of credit for this series- animator, voice actor, director, editor, anything at all- I would not be writing fanfiction.

* * *

"So, Matsuri-chan, what is it you had in mind?" Nakou asked over her coffee. Matsuri was grinning madly on their topic of 'Operation Re-Matchmake Sora and Nao-kun'.

"Jistu wa... I don't think the challenge is causing Sora and Nao-kun to fall in love again..." Matsuri said, in a tone so serious, it didn't match his face, "Even at graduation, when they told me they were no longer together... they looked at each other in ways that... they never really did stop..."

"Matsuri-chan... those two are important to you more than you'll say..." Nakou mused, smiling kindly. Matsuri smiled in a somewhat embarrassed way.

"In any case... The real challenge here is getting them to admit it." Matsuri explained his idea, while Nakou thought it over.

"It sounds good enough... but it needs something a little more..." She noted, before snapping her fingers and making a suggestion. Matsuri stood up, dramatically.

"Toyuu wakede! We shall then go to see the experts about this!" He proposed, while Nakou stood up with her own cheer, before the duo marched off to their destination.

Nanami was the one to open the door.

"Honjou-kun... shashiburi da ne?" He smiled. Matsuri smiled and bowed, before offering introductions.

"Ah, Nakou-chan, this is Nanami-sensei. He's kind of like Sora and Nao-kun's surrogate mother and is a nurse at our old high school." Matsuri pushed Nakou forward a bit, "Nanami-sensei, this is Nakou-chan- she's Nao-kun's fiancé." Nanami's face wore a look of honest surprise.

"Fujimori-kun... is engaged...?" He asked, and Nakou nodded a bit.

"De wa... that's something Matsuri-chan and I are trying to fix, actually." She reassured him. Nanami blinked, before finally letting them in, with Shinichirou watching from the sidelines.

Nanami made tea and brought it to the table. Matsuri and Nakou sat on one side as Nanami sat next to Shinichirou. After a moment of explanation, Shinichirou grinned as he lay his arms on the back of the sofa, one curling around Nanami's shoulders.

"...We haven't done something like that in a while... Have we, Nanami?" He asked, leaning close enough to whisper in his lover's ear. It was more that that action that made Nanami blush than anything, before Matsuri grinned.

"So, then- we'll contact you when this needs to happen, okay?" Nakou stood up and thanked Nanami for the tea before the Masturi-duo took their leave.

In their wake, Shinichirou wrapped his arms around Nanami's waist from behind, bringing a heavy blush to the nurse's cheeks.

"Am I going to have to 'Force' you again, like I did last time, Kaitou Nana Nana Mi?" He purred into Nanami's ear.

"Shinichirou..." Nanami protested faintly.

* * *

A/N: For those of you who are wondering, the answer is yes.

* * *

"Nao-kun... you look horrible- has something been happening?" Nakou mentioned, sitting down next to Sunao as they met on his lunch break- Nakou was one of the few people allowed on the private grounds of the research facility because she was the fiancé of one of their most important researchers. It as usually for this reason that she also often brought bento for the both of them, though Sunao was unspeakably grateful that she didn't do one of those ridiculous heart-shapes in the furikake or some other weird 'Love-Wife Bento' as Matsuri would have called it.

And, indeed, Sunao knew that he was off color, with circles under his eyes, and a few more wrinkles than was appropriate for a man his age. But, he reflected, at least he didn't look too shabby- he still remembered to shave every morning.

"I just haven't been sleeping well, Nakou-chan..." He managed, closing his eyes and leaning backwards, enjoying the warm sun. He felt something like sushi poke at his lips and obediently opened his mouth so Nakou could feed him. Sunao had learned that Nakou was just fond of feeding people, regardless of their gender or relation to her.

"Aw? Why's that, Nao-kun?" She asked.

Sunao sighed for a moment, then considered.

"Nakou-chan... did I tell you about Ran and Yoru, ever?" He asked.

"Eh?" Nakou asked, tilting her head to the side.

* * *

"So... there used to be another person inside of you?"

"Aah..."

"Who was called Yoru?"

"Aah..."

"And there's still another person inside of Nao-kun?"

"Aah..."

"Who's called Ran?"

"Aah..."

"And Ran's been coming in to see you every night?"

"Aah..."

"Because he says he misses Yoru?"

"Aah..."

"And because he says Nao-kun is lonely?"

"Aah.."

"And that's why you haven't been sleeping?"

"...Matsuri..."

"Nani?"

"IF YOU KNEW THIS ALREADY, WHY WON'T YOU LET ME SLEEP **NOW**?!" Sora shouted, his tiredness adding to his foul mood.

* * *

"Well... that makes things significantly easier for all of us... Now, it's just the costumes!" Nakou concluded, as she and Matsuri finished collaborating.

"Don't worry about most of them- I've got those leftover from when we used them in high school... and they should still fit..." Matsuri assured her, before Nanami interrupted.

"Demo... Michiya-chan, your role requires a costume which we don't have... that will be something difficult..." He interjected, but Nakou shook off the concern. Or, rather, Shinichirou did, and saved Nakou her breath.

"The Michiya family owns a fashion corporation, and I believe that Nakou is one of their fitters. She can take care of herself."

All eyes turned to Shinichirou before he reminded them, indignantly, that he WAS a detective.

* * *

Sunao always came home later than Sora, even with Sora's regular dinners with Shinichirou and Nanami, and thus he avoided seeing his former roommate quite nicely. However, it couldn't be avoided that taped to his door was what looked like a note.

Upon taking it inside, Sunao found that it was a card with the number 318 on the back, and a message on the front, printed in a fancy calligraphy that he'd never seen before.

'Dearest Fujimori,

If you go down the rabbit hole, you will find what is most precious to you.

Find it before it is stolen forever.

Masked Kaitou 318'

Sunao froze for a moment, before shouting through the wall, where he knew the other could hear him,

"HASHIBA!"

* * *

"I had nothing to do with it. Hountou daiyo..." Sora pouted, looking crabby at being woken up. Sunao wrinkled his nose with both distaste and disbelief.

"In that case, I'll be coming to see you tonight- not Ran! And I'll tie you down to your own bed to keep you from going out dressed up like this 'Masked Kaitou 318' if I have to!" Sunao replied, flinging the card at Sora's head, where it stuck before stomping back to his own apartment.

Indeed, around midnight, Sunao was still up and he crawled out through his balcony onto the neighboring balcony of Hashiba Sora. The window was already wide open, which didn't make him feel any more trusting of the blue-haired idiot that he had already, but the scene which met his eyes as he entered was something very startling.

There WAS a Masked Kaitou in the room, but it wasn't Hashiba- if anything, Sora seemed to be a hostage, albeit in a white rabbit costume. The Kaitou wore a large green hat and a blue mask that covered half his face, while he was dressed in a medieval woodsman costume of grays, browns, and greens, neck down.

"K-Kaitou 318..." Sunao stammered. The Kaitou smirked, and then took off through the door with Sora being dragged behind him, crying for help.

"FUJIMORI! DASKETE-E!" Sora shouted, while the Kaitou mounted a motorbike waiting below and took off with Sora on the back.

"HASHIBA!" Sunao called back, chasing after the bike- funny, but the Kaitou was going slow enough that Sunao could see quite plainly where they were going... just not slow enough that he could catch them.

Sunao stopped to catch his breath as the Kaitou reached their old high school and disappeared inside with Hashiba in tow. Panting, Sunao threw open the doors, but didn't know where to go first.

"Nao-kun... are you lost?" Asked a familiar voice. Sunao looked up and, somehow, sitting above the doorway was Matsuri... but... it wasn't...

Matsuri was wearing that old kitty outfit- the pink one with purple stripes, and he had a sleeveless kimono shirt with bold stripes of yellow and purple over it, tied with a pink obi, and a purple mask and wide smile over his face.

"Matsuri-chan... nande..." Sunao gasped, speechless, but Matsuri waved a finger at him.

"Tut tut, Nao-kun..." He scolded, "I'M Masked Kaitou 332- the Cheshire Cat!" Sunao blinked for a moment, then it all clicked together.

"... 'Go down the rabbit hole...' so... Hashiba was the white rabbit... de?" He muttered, mostly to himself. Matsuri was chuckling, and finally, Sunao turned to him.

"Matsuri-chan... Iiya... Masked Kaitou 332... tell me which way I need to go." Sunao demanded. The Cheshire Cat Matsuri was still grinning like only a Cheshire Cat could.

"That depends, Nao-kun..." The Cheshire Cat said, "On where you want to get to." Matsuri's costumed hindquarters raised up in the air and mimicked the gesture of a shrug, as though his legs were arms. Sunao felt his eye twitch.

"I want to find Hashiba." He said, impatiently. The Cheshire Cat tilted his head to the side.

"Why do you want to find Sora so badly, Nao-kun?" He asked, with the same mad grin. Sunao growled in the back of his throat.

"I want to find Hashiba so we can get out of here as fast as possible- I don't know what weird things you cosplaying bandits will do to him!" Sunao shouted, in a way that sounded a lot like how Sora had defended Toushizou when Kaitou 416 had struck in high school.

"Nao-kun, that's a mean thing to say..." Matsuri said in a mock-hurt voice, though he was still grinning. Sunao bristled, but demanded an answer.

"DE WA... Nao-kun... what room is the best place to hold a tea party?" The Cheshire Cat finally answered. Sunao blinked, before gasping and taking off at a run. He didn't see the Cheshire Cat Matsuri climb down and come trotting after him.

Sunao skidded to a halt in front of the infirmary doors, throwing them open to find that the infirmary had been completely changed. Instead of a desk, there was a small table in the middle of the room, with a tea party all set up. The walls were covered with drapery cloth and pink ribbons and the whole room was lighted up. And sitting right behind the table with the tea and a bound and gagged Sora in captivity were Nanami and Shinichirou, both in their Masked Kaitou outfits.

"Hashiba..." Sunao cried, stepping into the room, as both the older men spoke.

"NO ROOM!" Sunao stopped for a moment, before frowning.

"I'm not here for the tea party- I'm just here to get Hashiba out." He snapped. Sora looked about as grateful as was humanly possible with the gag still in his mouth, but Nanami and Shinichirou continued.

"Nobody can leave until the tea party's over. And you can't join because there's no more room." The fact that they were speaking in unison was even more disturbing than it should have been.

"Oniichan, Nanami-sensei... onegai-shimasu..." Sunao sighed, exasperated, before he was interrupted again.

"Ara ara- I'M Masked Kaitou 773- the March Hare!" Nanami corrected, with a similar gesture as what Matsuri had done earlier.

"Soushite... Ore wa Masked Kaitou 416- the Mad Hatter." Shinichirou reminded Sunao, with a coy tone. Sunao grit his teeth and felt himself shaking, as Matsuri entered and shut the door.

"And anyway- none of us can leave until we've seen the Queen!" He announced, flopping into a chair while his Cheshire Cat tail waved, impossibly. Sunao turned a questioning gaze on him.

"Queen...?" He asked, before it struck him, "Ma-Masaka..."

The doors opened again and, slowly, somewhat terrified of what he might see, Sunao turned around.

It was Nakou, just as he'd thought. However, she was in a pale yellow dress which brushed the floor, pale green trim at the bottom of the skirt and on the ruffled cuffs of her sleeves, and, in a bright pink which contrasted quite horribly with the green, hearts were patterned all over her skirt, as well as a large one stitched onto her bodice, and on the top of the crown on her head and the scepter in her hand. And she was, of course, also wearing a mask.

"Masked Kaitou 318- The Queen of Hearts- has arrived!" She announced. Sunao reeled backwards, falling over in shock as Nakou closed the doors, then raised her scepter.

"De wa..." The Queen paused for dramatic effect, "Let the trial begin!" She declared, while her fellow Masked Kaitous raised their hands in salute.

"...S-S-S-Saiban...?" Sunao stammered, and before he got his answer, the Queen raised her scepter again.

"Is the accused present?" Nakou demanded, and Matsuri leapt to his feet, sliding behind Sunao and forcing his arm up into the air.

"Hai- here he his, Joou-heika!" The Cheshire Cat volunteered. Sunao froze, being completely caught off guard and still in shock that he didn't even try to fight Matsuri off.

"Sou ka... In that case, let the trial proceed!" The Queen decreed, before Sunao suddenly realized what was going on, "Fujimori Sunao- you are accused of breaking matrimonial vows!"

"Ch-Chotto matte! That's between Ran and Hashiba- I have nothing to do with it!" Sunao shouted, not realizing that he probably shouldn't be mouthing off to Nakou when she was portraying the role of a character whose trademark line was 'Off with his head'.

Nanami and Shinichirou put in from the sidelines.

"This isn't about that, Fujimori-kun!"

"Sou da- you're not married yet, so it doesn't count."

"Demo... Nao-kun, you've broken your vow to Sora... meiki na?" The Cheshire Cat Matsuri reminded him, and Sunao felt a shiver go up his back as he hung his head.

"...Hashiba to ore wa... we weren't... it wasn't..." He started, until Nakou tipped his chin up with her scepter.

"Vows of true love are just as important as vows made before an altar, Nao-kun." She scolded. Sunao blinked for a moment, before the Queen regained her stance.

"DE WA..." She began again, "Anata, Fujimori Sunao, you shall redeem yourself- OR OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!"

There was a very heavy silence, before Sora was tossed forward and landed next to Sunao's feet. Sunao looked down at his former roommate (and lover) and contemplated for a moment, before kneeling to remove the gag.

"...Hashiba... I owe you an apology..." Sunao mumbled, his bangs falling over his face so that his eyes and blush were hidden. Sora looked away, feeling just as awkward.

"...It's okay, Fujimori... we both agreed on that... and it's been ten years..." Sora mumbled, but Sunao shook his head.

"I mean... how I didn't try to contact you... all this time... I knew where Nanami-sensei and Onii-chan were... I could have asked them... dakedo..." Sunao gulped. There was a long silence, before Sora spoke again.

"...Fujimori... when we met again... the first time... all you did was insist that you hated me. Almost everything I said or did... and you punched me and shouted something about me that you hated..." Sora mumbled, his voice echoing off the tiles, "Demo... when we met this time... you didn't do any of that... so, I guess... that at least means we're still friends, ne?" Sunao looked up and into Sora's face, which bore a hopeful smile, before he glanced back down, ashamed.

"Omae mo... Hashiba..." Sunao said, quietly, "Because I treated you so harshly... Hashiba, you always were calling me things... like a punk... a jerk... how did you put it? 'Kawaii kume'... And now... now you don't, so... Hashiba, you are... my friend too... now..."

Everyone in the room was smiling as Sunao knelt forward and spoke into Sora's ear as he undid the ropes that bound him.

"Hashiba... even if we're fighting because of Ran now... I'm willing to call a temporary truce so that we may work together to alter the bone structure of these four in a less than surgical manner."

It was loud enough that the four cosplay bandits heard quite clearly.

"...A-Ano... Nao-kun..." Matsuri stammered.

"...Ai no... kokuhaku..." Nakou trailed off.

"That sounds like a good idea to me." Sora replied, giving them all a very sour look.

"...Sh-Shinichirou..." Nanami said, more out of shock that the two would think up something so vicious than actual fear for his life.

"...I think we can take them..." Shinichirou muttered, cracking each of his knuckles individually.

* * *

"Nakou-chan... yamete de kudasai..." Sunao leaned his forehead against his door as he sighed. Nakou was right behind him, this time in a much more simple, less flamboyant dress.

"Nao-kun... you might not realize it, but it's not just you we're worried about." Nakou said, gently. Sunao turned around to give his fiancé a calculating look, and was surprised to see that she was serious.

"Did you ever think... how this affects Sora... when you push him away like this, Nao-kun?" She asked, but somehow managing to still be kind, and Sunao's hand twitched as it rested on the doorknob and he looked away again, "Sora might not say it... demo... I feel certain that he hurts every time he has to remember that you two aren't together anymore."

Sunao interrupted her.

"Nakou-chan... you heard him just now... Hashiba, he... he understands... that we're just friends... and he was okay with that." Sunao mumbled, and Nakou was somewhat pleased to hear the obvious sadness in his voice.

"...Then... what about the rest of us?" She asked, and Sunao snapped around again, "...Futari tomo... Shinichirou-san... Nanami-sensei... Matsuri-chan... and myself... we all are very concerned for you two... and it makes us worry to know that you both aren't happy where you are now."

"Ore mou..." Sunao said, turning his back on Nakou, "I also... feel worried about everyone... especially Hashiba... to think that one of you isn't where you want to be... so, can't you let me try to help the best I can on my own?" Nakou stopped speaking and seriously stared at Sunao's back.

"...Even if... even if Hashiba wants something more... if he's not comfortable saying it, then I don't want to... I don't want to make him do something he'll regret... Soushite... Nakou-chan... you're my fiancé. That's... that's something... that can't be changed now..." Sunao entered his apartment and then locked it, leaving Nakou out in the hallway.

She descended the stairwell to find Matsuri waiting for her.

"Matsuri-chan?" She asked, surprised, before Matsuri smiled.

"Ohime-sama needs to be escorted home, ne?" He offered, smiling a sincere smile, this time. Nakou smiled back, softly, before teasing.

"I thought that I was 'Joou-heika'..." Matsuri shared a chuckle before his smile faded.

"It didn't work as well as I thought it would..." He said, somewhat disappointed. Nakou shook her head.

"Iie... It did more good than we expected..." She replied, "Nao-kun and Sora... both of them at least recognize that they miss each other. Demo..." Nakou looked up at the sky as they continued to walk, "Nao-kun still isn't saying something which we need to know..."

Matsuri didn't say much after that, but they continued to talk about other things as they walked towards Nakou's home.

The next day, both of the Matsuri-duo were met with very cold shoulders from their respective project.

A/N: Nakou-chan's name 'Michiya' is just like Shinichirou and Nanami, in that it's made of numbers- Mi 3, Ichi 1, Ya 8. You have no idea how long it took me to compose her name in the first chapter she appeared in, specifically for this purpose.

The part where Shinichirou asks if Nanami will need to be 'forced into it again' is something of a personal joke- at the end of episode four, when they confront Shinichirou about what happened with Toushizou, Sunao says to Nanami 'It probably wasn't your fault- I'm sure Oniichan forced you to do this' and Nanami just has this weird smile on his face... guess what my brain automatically thought of.

Translations:

Jitsu wa...- The truth is...

Toyuu wakede!- So, there you have it! (Something which Matsuri says a lot during Jack-of-All-Trades work)

Sashiburi da ne?- It's been a while, hasn't it?

Kaitou- Thief, Bandit

furikake- the colored flavoring that is put on the top of rice in bentos. Sometimes, wives will fix their husband's bentos with pink furikake in the shape of a heart, and that's what is meant by 'Love Wife bento'.

Hountou daiyo- I mean it, or some other expression which conveys sincerity and honesty.

Daskete!- Help me!

Nande?- Why?

Iya- No (in this case 'No, wait' or 'No, I mean')

Onegai-shimasu- Please, I'm begging you.

Ara ara- Again, just a noise... but you really should know that by now...

Soushite... Ore wa...- And... I am...

Masaka!- It can't be!

Saiban- Trial

Joou-heika- Joou is the word for queen, and heika the honorific meaning 'your majesty'. Similarly, (and much to my personal amusement) geika means 'your highness', and seika means 'your holiness' (in other words, for the Pope only) so they all make up a nice little rhyme.

Sou ka...- ...Please don't make me translate this...

Chotto matte!- See above.

Meiki na?- Remember?

Hashiba to ore wa...- Hashiba and I were...

Kawaii kume- Again, spelling issues, but this is Sora's usual complaint of Sunao in the series whenever he's being a brat, and roughly translates to 'So not cute'.

Ai no kokuhaku- Confessions of love. It might be butchered, as I did my own grammar and translations on this one...

Yamete- Any yaoi fangirl worth her salt should know THIS one.

Futari tomo- All of us.

Ohime-sama- A pet name for a girl, usually meaning 'Princess', 'Lady', or 'Maiden' and intended to be affectionate, as opposed to condescending.


	6. Chapter 6

10 years

By Sapadu

A/N: Tsubame- I'm sorry dear, but as for the lemon... I'm not sure if it would fit with the mood of the story... some molestation is guaranteed (Given Ran and Minato's presence) but no lemon as of yet.

But everyone, thank you for your feedback, or at least reading this, and a big thank you to anyone who's made it on their favorites or alerts list! I feel so appreciated!

...But I still don't own the series, game, manga, or any kind of product. Not even close.

* * *

"Sora..." A voice whispered in the dark of the night, and when Sora didn't respond, it repeated, "Sora..."

The bed creaked as someone sat down and Sora felt the person's hand touch his side, traveling up to his shoulder.

"Mezama de yo... Sora..." There was no mistaking that tone of voice, Sora mused as he turned over, eyes blinking themselves open.

"...Omae wa... Ran?" He mumbled, still very groggy with sleep. Ran was sitting on the edge of his mattress, giving him a very pleading look.

"You promised..." Ran whispered, in a betrayed voice. When Sora blinked and sat up, Ran clarified, "You promised me... that you wouldn't push Nao away... that I could stay and pretend I was still with Yoru... and that you two wouldn't stay apart... so why?" Ran sniffled. Sora frowned, then rubbed his head.

"I'm not in the mood for games tonight, Ran..." He grumbled, before Ran turned his tearful eyes on Sora.

"You think that I'm playing a game, now?" Ran demanded, crawling up so he was sitting in Sora's lap, clinging to his shirt, "You think that this is just something I'm doing to seduce you? Do you really think that I don't actually care?" Ran buried his face against Sora's shoulder and started to sincerely cry. Sora scowled, mostly because he felt like a complete dickhead for having to do this, but pushed Ran away, all the same.

"You can't." He said, laying back down, "Fujimori's going to be married soon and you're going to have to respect that. What will you do when you can't come and visit me every night?" Sora didn't mean to be mean- he really didn't- but it was something that needed to be said.

He heard Ran sniffle.

"What will Sora do without the hope that Nao will come back to him?" Ran replied, as though saying the two situations were the same. Sora's eyes opened and he glanced up at Ran for a moment.

"...Sleep whenever I'm not working... tabun..." He muttered, burying his face in his pillow, like Ran had in his shirt a moment ago.

"...I can't, though... You can sleep... Nao can work... everyone else who you know can escape... but what do I do when I can't do any of that?" Ran pressed, sounding like he was truly looking for answers.

"...Maybe once he's married, Fujimori will let you go like I let Yoru go. Maybe then you two will be together again..." Sora offered, hoping that it would appease Ran enough to make him go away. Ran's face crumbled.

"...But then, what will you do?" Sora peeked open with one eye and gave Ran a considering glance.

"...If I just let you sleep with me, will you stop pestering me like this?" He mumbled. Ran was quiet, then finally nodded. With a sigh, Sora lifted up the covers and pretended to hold Ran comfortingly, like Yoru used to.

Unlike Ran, though, he didn't fall asleep again. He hadn't given it much thought, but what WAS he going to do when Fujimori got married? He'd liked having his old roommate and friend around again... and, though he admitted it to no one, he still had moments where he still thought of Sunao as his lover. Little thoughts like 'Where could he be at this time of night' before Sora remembered that they didn't live together anymore, or 'What does he want for breakfast' before Sora remembered that Sunao would be up and long gone for work by the time Sora had stumbled out of bed for his breakfast.

And, even more recently, Sora would wake up, find his arms empty, and spend a few moments panicking that Fujimori had disappeared, gotten kidnapped again, or possibly was back at the lab before he remembered that Aizawa had died in the fire at the greenhouse.

Sora shut his eyes and tried to tell himself that, either way, life would be back to normal as soon as Sunao was married and the sooner that happened, the better.

Now, if only 'normal' wasn't so painfully the opposite of what he WANTED.

* * *

"Fujimori... Look, um... I know you've got other things you want to be doing on your day off but... um... I just wanted to talk about something Ran said... a few nights ago..." Sora stumbled over his words, not touching his lunch. Sunao didn't look at him, anyway.

"Ii yo... I'm getting sick of him coming out every night, anyway..." Sunao muttered. After a moment, Sora opened his mouth again, and the wrong words came out.

"Um... do you and Nakou have a date set for the wedding or..." It wasn't what he'd meant to say or ask, but it came out, just the same.

"Her parents are taking care of those arrangements, Hashiba. Nakou-chan just asked them to give us time so we can work out an agreement on things like household management, children, budget..." Sunao replied, also not eating his lunch. Sora squirmed.

"...Sou ka..." He mumbled, and after a moment of silence, said another thing which he regretted, "...Ore... I might be being selfish here... demo... I still can't understand how you could agree to marry someone unless you... cared... Fujimori..." Sora still couldn't manage to say the big 'L' word, but Sunao seemed to hear it.

"...Feelings are impractical, Hashiba. If we all waited until we 'felt' right about things, nobody would fulfill the responsibilities that make life comfortable." Sora heard his former roommate say in a very bland voice, as though he was just repeating an answer that someone else had written for him, "If you waited until the time 'felt right' to get a job, Hashiba, you would be unemployed for your whole life. If people who are married waited until it 'felt right' to have children, it would be too late and the world wouldn't have people in it."

Sora stared incredulously at Sunao's rather cold-hearted response.

"...Fujimori..." He muttered, before a new voice interrupted their conversation.

"SORA-KUN!" Sora sat up a bit straighter, and Sunao's ears perked up, "It IS you, Sora-kun! I'm so glad: I thought it was someone else who looked like you, and I haven't seen you in so long!"

Sora turned around just in time to be met with a smothering embrace from a familiar white-haired young man. Because his face was pressed up against said person's shirt, Sora didn't see Sunao's head snap around, or the expression on his face.

"Hi-Hiromu? Hiromu, it is you!" Sora finally managed, sounding far too delighted for Sunao's tastes, "You cut your hair- it looks cute!" Neither Sora nor Hiromu noticed as Sunao made an 'Eh?' noise, as though catching from Sora's comment that these two had been in contact while he hadn't been.

"A-Ah... the new line at the agency I'm with is better taken with short hair..." Hiromu explained, blushing and rubbing the back of his head. Sora's expression changed.

"And what did you mean 'It's been so long'? We only stopped seeing each other a few weeks ago..." Sora groused, and this time, both he and Hiromu noticed Sunao's 'EEEEH?'

"Oh, Sunao-kun is here, too!" Hiromu sounded pleased with this, and immediately rounded on the other to give him a hug too. Sunao let him, but coldly didn't return the gesture.

"This is wonderful- I get to see you both again!" Hiromu said, looking between the two. Sunao was busy biting his tongue, while Sora grouched,

"Stop talking like it was so long ago." Before Sunao finally lost his head.

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, HASHIBA?!" He demanded, at which Sora and Hiromu blinked.

"Hiromu and I were dating for a year. A few weeks before I ran into you again, we broke up." Sora explained, as though it was a concept that Sunao should have grasped without being told.

Sora heard a nasty noise come from Sunao's general direction before he realized it was Sunao grinding his teeth.

"Sunao-kun, are you upset about that incident?" Hiromu asked, innocently, and everyone knew that he was referencing the times he'd possessed Sunao to spend time with Sora and then once asked Sora upfront to go on a date with him, "But you were so friendly during the school cultural festival..."

Sunao stood up, putting his hands on the table with a slam as he did so.

"I just remembered- I have to be somewhere..." Sunao growled, walking away before Sora or Hiromu could do or say much.

"Usotsuki... Fujimori, you just don't want to stay around us!" Sora called after him, but Sunao ignored him. Hiromu frowned, before turning to Sora with a hurt expression.

"Sora-kun... did you and Sunao-kun have an argument?" Hiromu asked, taking the abandoned seat and gripping Sora's hand. They didn't notice how Sunao, who was still within seeing range, kept looking back over his shoulder and was now making some very interesting faces and noises of indignation.

"Iiya... It's just that..." Sora paused, before wondering how much he could tell Hiromu... he'd explained the Yoru/Ran thing that had bothered Hiromu when they'd been in high school... but where did he even START, now?

"Well... I guess it's just been bothering me... but Fujimori's engaged and... I don't know really how to deal with the fact that he'll be married sometime soon..." The news of Sunao's engagement raised Hiromu's eyebrows, but then he regained his composure.

"Oh... Sunao-kun's going to be married..." He said, in a somewhat stunned voice, before trying to make conversation, "Have you met his fiancé?"

Sora snorted, thinking what Hiromu would think of Nakou.

"Aah... she's kind of like Matsuri, actually..." He mused, and Hiromu seemed to do a double take before smiling again.

"A-no... Sora-kun... would you want me to stop by some evening?" Hiromu asked, blushing shyly. Sora smiled as best he could.

"Gomen, Hiromu... but it's over..." He reminded him, remembering that the invitation Hiromu had just extended was what had gotten their relationship off to a start.

"I'll bring dinner over." Hiromu offered. Sora paused.

"Hiromu's homemade dinner?" Sora clarified, and when Hiromu nodded, Sora quickly reconsidered.

* * *

As it turned out, Hiromu spent the night. Sora should have known in the first place, he knew, but, compared to Ran, this was a much pleasant and preferred change.

Sora also had a feeling that Ran would show up in the middle of the night, jealous and upset and tearful, but he also had been thinking, at the time, that Ran needed someone to get it through his head that Yoru was gone and that he needed to get over it. So, really, it was a gesture of spite, and for once, Sora couldn't find it in himself to care.

As per usual, some time around midnight, Sora felt rather than heard or saw Ran's presence hovering over his bed. He'd even explained it to Hiromu, so on the off-chance his bedmate woke up, there would be less of a chance of misunderstanding.

However, Sora was not expecting for Ran to just lay down and put an arm around his waist, like Hiromu wasn't even there. One of Sora's eyes flickered open, but he didn't turn his head. If Ran was going to play the game of ignorance, he could play it, too. In a similar gesture to what Ran was doing, Sora pulled Hiromu into a tighter embrace, one which the white-haired midget snuggled into with a contented 'Sora-ku-un...'

"So, that's it then?" Sora shivered as Ran whispered in his ear, which sent a chill down his spine, "As long as you can sleep with them, anybody will do, won't they?"

Both Sora's eyes shot open and he turned over, fiercely, waking up Hiromu in the process.

"Nandato? You always take everything in the worst way possible! And besides, why are you even here, tonight?" Sora demanded. Ran sneered at Sora, somehow maintaining an air of control and composure as he shifted back into a sitting position.

"I didn't want to come over tonight, actually. But Nao was worried that you might not be alone tonight, so he wanted me to come and check on you." Ran explained, as though he held the superior moral ground in the argument, "And since Nao was right about you, I think he wants to talk with you about it, now..."

Sora didn't even get a chance to blink before he was slapped across the face by a very pissed off Fujimori Sunao.

"RAN WAS RIGHT, WASN'T HE? IT DOESN'T MATTER TO YOU, HASHIBA- JUST LONG ENOUGH YOU CAN GET THEM IN BED WITH YOU, IS THAT RIGHT?!" Sunao demanded, with a very murderous expression in his eyes. Sora wrinkled his nose and stood up, equally angry.

"FOR YOUR INFORMATION, WE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING- WE WERE JUST SLEEPING IN THE SAME BED, FUJIMORI!" He shouted back, while Hiromu sat up, dazed, confused, and spooked at the confrontation going on between the two former roommates.

"THEN WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT, THE WAY YOU WERE HOLDING HIM, HASHIBA?" Sunao continued to yell, his arms shaking as fists clenched at his sides.

"WHY DO I SUDDENLY NEED PERMISSION FROM YOU, WHO BROKE UP WITH ME TEN YEARS AGO AND WHO HASN'T EVEN KEPT IN CONTACT SINCE GRADUATION?! AM I YOUR PROPERTY, FUJIMORI?!" Sora responded.

"YOU BROKE UP WITH ME JUST AS MUCH AS I DID WITH YOU, HASHIBA- DON'T MAKE ME OUT TO BE THE CRIMINAL, HERE!" Sunao snarled, fiercely.

Hiromu took this chance to interrupt.

"Ano... Sunao-kun, if you don't feel comfortable with Sora-kun seeing other people, why don't YOU go out with him?" He asked, in the most innocent way possible, that not even Sunao could get mad at him. Sunao did, however, manage a glare.

"That's different- I'm already engaged!" He snapped, before lifting a finger and pointing it at Sora's face, "But you, Hashiba... you should show a little commitment, too!" Sora scowled and clenched his own fists.

"I do show commitment, Fujimori- at least I'm not always sneaking off and sleeping with someone else while I'm engaged. And I show commitment to people who I actually feel sincerely about, not just when there's some profit in it for me!" Sora retorted, angrily. Sunao's eyes widened, and Hiromu's mouth dropped.

There was a very auspicious silence in the air before Sora realized that he had, in essence, just called his greatest childhood friend a whore.

It was only when Sora found himself staring up at his ceiling with a large bump on his head that Sora realized exactly how hard Sunao had punched him, before the slamming of the screen door announced that Sora was now alone again, with Hiromu hovering over him with an ice pack and an apologetic expression.

"Sora-kun, gomen ne..." He whispered, pressing the ice against the bump, "Boku no sei da..." Sora shook his head before he realized that was a very bad idea- his vision blurred and his head started swimming as he did that.

"Iya... It's a problem between me and Fujimori, Hiromu... Aitsu..." But Hiromu interrupted him.

"Demo... Sunao-kun wouldn't be so angry if it was someone other than me..." He said, looking miserable, "Because... jistu wa, boku... I really liked both Sora-kun and Sunao-kun for so long..." Sora turned his head enough to stare at Hiromu, the idea of the blond also having a crush on Sunao being new to him.

"Hiromu..."He murmured in astonishment, before Hiromu's gaze hardened, a bit.

"Dakara... I'm the one who made this mess... So I'm going to fix it between Sora-kun and Sunao-kun." Hiromu said, firmly.

* * *

Sunao didn't want to leave the safety of his cocoon of blankets when a knock sounded on his door. It was warm and protective there. The real world didn't exist inside the bundle Sunao had made himself into. It was a shield between him and the reality outside.

Hashiba thought he was a whore. Hashiba Sora... his childhood friend, his supporter through all his troubles, his anchor when he nearly lost his mind, his protector, his roommate, his misguided target for vengeance, his lover... had called him a whore.

Kuu-chan... had just...

Sunao was too old to cry. He knew better- crying never solved anything, and all it did was give him a headache and the hiccups. So, he wasn't crying.

But he didn't trust his legs not to give out on him if he tried to stand.

"Sunao-kun... open the door, de kudasai..."

Hiromu...

Sunao got to his feet, scowl already in place. He was going to punch that little bastard as hard as he could, and he wasn't going to feel the least bit sorry for it, either, Sunao decided as he stomped towards the door- it was all he deserved, since this whole situation wouldn't have happened if Hiromu hadn't been there.

The more Sunao thought about it, the more it made sense and the angrier he got- Hiromu had absolutely no right to be hanging over Sora like that, and it wasn't because Sunao was jealous, it was because they both had said they broke up! Why the hell was Hiromu still acting like he and Sora were lovers if they weren't anymore? And if Hiromu hadn't been in bed with Sora that night, Ran would have gone to visit, they would have both gotten some sleep, and the next day, Sunao would have left for work and nobody would have been any the wiser. But... but this...

Sunao opened the door and was met with a shy, embarrassed Hiromu. Before Sunao could even make a fist, Hiromu bowed as deeply as he could.

"I'm very sorry, Sunao-kun, to have caused you any trouble or worry..." Sunao's arm shook with tension and anger, but yet, the sincerity of Hiromu's statement made him unable to punch the twerp where he stood. After a moment, Hiromu extended a box with a ribbon tied neatly around it.

"Please accept this as an apology." Hiromu stammered. Sunao blinked and looked down at the box. It looked like a video of some kind- it was actually just a plain, white VHS box with a bow on it, covering the title label. Sunao curiously moved the ribbon so he could read it, and was taken aback by what he saw.

'Gakusei High Presents:

Swan Lake'

"Kore wa..." Sunao muttered, remembering all too well the events around the production of the Swan Lake play during their cultural festival, the anger going right out of him, like a bleeding wound. Hiromu offered a hesitant smile.

"Sunao-kun was so happy at the end of the play... I thought you might feel better seeing it again..." He explained with a shrug. Sunao stared at the box, longingly, for a moment, before handing it back.

"Ii yo... I accept your apology... but I can't take this." Sunao said, but Hiromu didn't take the video back.

"Eh? Why not, Sunao-kun?" Hiromu asked, pouting. Sunao fumbled for an excuse, before saying.

"I don't have a video player- so I can't watch it." He finally said. Hiromu smiled, prepared for that.

"Demo... Honjou-kun... He's the one who gave it to me, and he said that you could visit him anytime if you wanted to watch it." Sunao fumbled for an excuse for a moment, before Hiromu started to talk again, "Jistu wa... even when Sora-kun and I were together... he talked about you all the time... both of us were wondering where Sunao-kun was... how Sunao-kun was feeling... what Sunao-kun was doing... Dakara, I'm glad to see Sunao-kun again and know he's doing well..."

Sunao's expression remained quite blank as Hiromu said that.

"Demo... it might be best if Sunao-kun could be honest with Sora-kun... or else more things like this will happen... if Sunao-kun hates Sora-kun, he should say that... or if Sunao-kun loves Sora-kun, he should say that, too..." Hiromu continued, shuffling his feet while Sunao stared straight ahead in a kind of daze, "...Because I think Sora-kun probably feels the same way as Sunao-kun... but can't say so because he doesn't know how Sunao-kun feels."

Sunao glanced down at the video again, before sighing.

"Arigatou, Hiromu-kun..." Sunao finally managed, bringing the video back in. Hiromu smiled and skipped off, while Sunao shut his door, only to lean back against it and stare at the video, thoughtfully.

* * *

"Nakou-chan, are you home?"

Nakou looked up from her book of business building strategies at the sound of her fiancé's voice at the door. It wasn't very often that Sunao came over to her apartment, so her curiosity was piqued, wondering what it was that made him come now of all times.

"Nao-kun, this is a surprise. I don't remember the last time you'd come over." She said, congenially as she opened the door and let Sunao in, before noticing the video box in his hand, "Ooh, Nao-kun- you should know better than to bring over movies like that before we're married." She teased. Sunao's face went pink.

"N-Nakou-chan... it's not that kind..." He protested, as Nakou giggled, then changed the subject.

"In any case... It's rare for you to even walk me home... did you have trouble getting here?" She asked, and Sunao shook his head with a small smile.

"It took me a while to remember where it was, but I didn't get lost." He replied, causing Nakou to smile.

"That's good." Nakou sighed, before turning her attention on the package Sunao carried, "Nani... kore?"

"Aah... our old high school... during the cultural festival, we put on a production of Swan Lake and... someone taped it..." Sunao explained, holding the box up, "...Last weekend, an old friend from school gave me a copy... I thought you might want to see it..."

Nakou tilted her head to the side with a grin.

"He-e-eh... sounds interesting. Ja, come in and make yourself at home. Should I make popcorn for this?" Nakou offered, closing the door and walking back towards the lounge as Sunao toed off his shoes.

"I don't think so..." He called after her, following her steps to the appropriate machine and pressing the play button.

Though, Nakou couldn't help but reflect, as they both sat down on the sofa, what odd dynamics their relationship had. They simply sat next to each other, with a respectful, professional space between them, as though they were in separate chairs altogether. They both sat so straight, so postured, with their hands folded properly in their respective laps. One would have thought they were garden statues watching a documentary for a company seminar or something like that. Sunao didn't even make an attempt to bridge the space between them by putting his arm over the back of the couch, or reaching across to hold her hand.

"Aww, Nao-kun, you were Princess Odette." Nakou giggled, seeing a teen aged version of her fiancé appear on screen, all dolled up in a pretty pink dress and the symbolic white wings while the Sunao seated next to her went bright pink.

"Matsuri-chan wanted me to play the role when he wrote the script... but I didn't want to, so he held a beauty contest to find another person who looked enough like a girl to do it... but then, that person got into an accident, so I had to play the part, anyway." He explained, eyes shifting slightly. Nakou giggled again, suddenly noticing how familiar the boy playing the prince looked.

"...Sora wa..." She mused, and Sunao sat up a bit more stiffly, "Sora wa... oji-sama?" Sunao looked away, completely, this time.

"Aah... Hashiba... kept trying to make me feel comfortable... even though he knew I didn't really want to do it... He was at least considerate enough that he didn't ask me to do something I didn't want to do... unless I volunteered, first..." Sunao agreed, thinking back on the incident. For some reason, he could only think of how Sora had treated him throughout the whole thing.

Nakou smiled, gently, watching Sunao's face change as he thought about it, before she turned back to watch the play unfold.

_"I like you, Princess- I've made up my mind! Marry me!"_

_"Why all of a sudden, without even considering my situation, stupid prince?"_

"He really was an idiot prince..." Sunao muttered, his proper posture fading as he knelt forward, resting the lower half of his face against his palm as his elbow rested on his knee. Nakou giggled.

"Sou da, sou da..." Nakou agreed, as they continued.

As the play ended, Nakou tilted her head to one side, as thought examining the players from a different angle.

"Nao-kun... you seem to be sincerely smiling in this last scene..." She observed.

"Who wouldn't be? I'd hated doing the play from the start... I was more than happy for it to be over." Sunao grumbled, not looking at the screen again, but Nakou shook her head.

"Nao-kun... you forget that people like Matsuri-chan and myself have an eye for these things... You're not just smiling out of relief... because smiles of relief aren't directed towards the Prince when the relieved is the person playing Odette." Nakou reminded him. Sunao blushed, and didn't answer. Nakou took that to mean she'd guessed correctly.

The video finished and Sunao stood up, awkwardly.

"Hiromu-kun... when he gave me this tape... told me that I should be more honest with Hashiba..." Sunao said, still not looking at Nakou, "Because... if I wasn't honest, more misunderstandings would take place... Demo... ore wa..."

Nakou stood up and gave her fiancé a friendly hug from behind.

"Nao-kun... is afraid to tell the truth about what he feels with Sora... ne?" She asked, and Sunao hung his head.

"There are some things... which would hurt Hashiba too much, if he knew the truth... Dakara, ore... I don't want to be responsible for any more harm that happens to Hashiba... since I did so much to hurt him... ano tokii..." Sunao whispered. Nakou's hold tightened in a comforting manner, before she stepped back.

"Demo... is it because Nao-kun wants to protect Sora? Or is it because Nao-kun is afraid that Sora will hate Nao-kun if he knew the truth?" She asked, and Sunao flinched, gritting his teeth, before changing the subject.

"...If you wanted... you could keep the video, Nakou-chan..." He offered, "I don't have a machine to watch it on in my apartment... and since you and Matsuri-chan have been teasing me about Hashiba so much, you can add it to your ammunition..." Sunao turned, offering his fiancé a smile. Nakou eyed the fake sentiment critically for a moment, before smiling and going along with it.

"...Oh... well, if I must..." Nakou sighed, with a much-put-upon air, which Sunao recognized as her way of saying she cared. He smiled, faintly, before turning around and taking one of Nakou's hands in his own.

"...Arigatou na, Nakou-chan." He said with a courteous smile, beginning to lift Nakou's hand for a polite kiss, before she pulled it away.

"Dame." She said, sharply. Sunao blinked, surprised, and Nakou simply stood with her arms crossed, looking him in the eye.

"Nao-kun... Only if you mean it. But, if you don't, dame desu." Nakou repeated, firmly. Sunao, momentarily struck speechless, simply stared at her for a moment, before smiling with relief.

"...Arigatou... Nakou-chan." Sunao smiled, this time because he meant his thanks, not just as a formality. Nakou smiled back, before Sunao continued.

"Hontou wa..." Nakou blinked, with surprise, "You really are... like Matsuri-chan, Nakou-chan..." Sunao told her. Nakou blinked for a moment, then smiled and waved as Sunao left.

* * *

"Toyuu wakede- Nao-kun has been jealous, talked some sense into, and everything seems to be going smoothly." Nakou surmised, brandishing her evidence over her coffee. Matsuri, seated across from her, was grinning madly.

"I had a feeling Hiromu-kun's appearance would help, somewhat... Jealousy is often the best sign of repressed emotions, especially since Nao-kun only gets jealous when its because he failed to do or say anything to prevent it..." Matsuri said, nodding wisely. Nakou smiled, before she finished with her drink, until Matsuri spoke again.

"Demo..." Nakou peered over her cup, "Why did you tell him 'Dame' when he tried to kiss you goodbye, Nakou-chan? Nao-kun was only behaving like a gentleman should..."

Nakou put her cup down and gave Matsuri the most serious expression she could.

"I don't like the idea of being kissed by someone who doesn't mean it." She explained, "It's something... which should be reserved for those who truly do care... And besides... I wouldn't want Nao-kun to be so intimate with a person when there was already someone else who he wanted to be with..."

Matsuri smiled, then changed the subject.

"Are there any new designs you're working on?"

* * *

A/N: I'm actually thinking that maybe I'll have thirteen chapters, like the anime. Maybe fourteen... As for the stuff about the Swan Lake play, I took that from the manga, and there are some liberal interpretations of the games, here.

In the next chapter, there will be some manipulation of the time line, since the anime didn't quite seem to follow any coherent time schedule. With that in mind, guess what will happen. Guess right, you get a cookie!

Oh, and watch out for the Matsuri-duo. Something unexpected might happen!

Translations:

Mezama de yo...- Wake up...

tabun- probably

Sou ka- I see...

Usotsuki- While it doesn't SOUND like it's spelled this way, it is. Oh, and it means 'liar'.

Boku no sei da- It's my fault...

Gakusei- It means student, but I decided it was the best I could come up with, since their high school was never given a name...

Kore wa- This is...

Nani... kore?- What is this? Or And this... is?

Oji-sama- Prince

Sou da, sou da- True, true...


	7. Chapter 7

10 years

By Sapadu

A/N: I once again offer everyone my thanks- I'm happy that you're enjoying it. Don't worry, though- things will get better, but there will be some drama and necessary angst.

Until then, enjoy the ride and see if you can guess what the next chapter will be. And those of you who said you cried last chapter- trust me, I believe you. Though, this chapter, I'll be even easier to convince.

Oh, and I still don't, and never could hope to, own it.

* * *

"It's almost the fourteenth..." Nakou mused as she, Sunao, and Matsuri sat around a table. 

"Mmm..." Matsuri agreed, as Nakou fed him a forkful of pasta, while Sunao stared out the window. His fiancé had to bop him on the head to get him to turn around so she could spoon some rice into his mouth.

"Nakou-chan, yamete de kudasai..." Sunao managed, after he swallowed and just barely avoided choking.

"Aww... but Nao-kun, I need to practice for when I become a mother." Nakou replied with a grin. Sunao grimaced and looked away, before Nakou said, "Oh... but don't worry- I'm always willing to adopt!"

Her well meant relief only caused Sunao to hang his head further. Nakou frowned, then looked to Matsuri for an explanation as she fed him more food.

"Sora and Nao-kun both lost their parents when they were very young... I think it was even on the same night. Demo, Sora was adopted by Shinichirou-san while Nao-kun..."

Nakou turned her gaze back to Sunao, whom was staring out the window, longingly.

"Everything today... has been reminding me of Hashiba... I don't know why, and I don't like it, but it does, all the same..." Sunao finally whispered, as the two blonds watched him, somewhat sympathetic, before Matsuri piped up.

"Maybe Nao-kun's in love again!"

Sunao turned around, slowly. Both Matsuri and Nakou could see an evil glint in his pink eyes and the scowl around his brow and clenched teeth as he hissed out.

"Ma-su-ri-cha-a-an..." Sunao raised his fist, which seemed to be on fire. As Sunao opened his mouth to shout, however, his fiancé came in, armed with her chopsticks and stuffed a piece of sushi into his mouth. Sunao made an odd noise, which sounded like the sushi had hit the back of his throat.

"...Nakou-chan... I think he's choking..." Matsuri finally said, as Sunao's face turned red, then blue. Nakou just continued smiling.

"Daijobu, daijobu..."

* * *

"Sora... did you and Nao-kun fight?" 

Sora slouched and shifted his gaze away while Nakou, whom was still proclaiming herself 'Nakou-chan' as her excuse to try to pair them up despite being Sunao's fiancé, kept trying her damnedest to feed him.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'." Nakou said, smiling sadly as she finally managed to get a crab roll past Sora's lips, "You and Nao-kun are both so difficult to feed these days..."

"Ano sa..." Sora managed after swallowing, "Why are you..." But she interrupted him before he could finish.

"Why don't you get him something for Valentine's Day to say you're sorry?" Nakou suggested, taking a meatball for herself, before popping an omelet in Sora's mouth.

He almost choked.

"D-Demo... Valentine's Day is when GIRLS give chocolates!" He protested. Nakou gave him a look before uttering one word.

"Tenshi-chans."

Sora's mouth snapped shut at the memory of parading around the school in a robe, halo, and wings, distributing chocolates...

After a moment, Sora stood and walked towards the infirmary, not noticing that Nakou was following him- maybe he was just trying to get away from her, as being around Sunao's fiancé the way that she was right now was singularly uncomfortable.

Sora opened the door to the sick room just as Minato Shinichirou swallowed a meatball, oh-so-lovingly fed to him by Nanami Kai. Sora made a face.

"Doesn't anyone feed themselves, these days?" He muttered under his breath, to himself, as Nanami patted Shinichirou on the back to keep him from choking.

"ORA! Can't you knock?" Shinichirou finally growled as he cleared his throat.

"It's the infirmary- you don't knock for that! And what are YOU doing here?" Sora shot back. Shinichirou snorted.

"Just because I'm retired doesn't mean I can't visit." He returned.

"Hashiba-kun, was there something you needed?" Nanami interrupted, smiling, as he punched Shinichirou in the gut to make him shut up. Sora sighed and sat down on a stool while Nakou listened, outside.

"I need some advice, Nanami-chan..." Sora started, and Nanami made a concerned noise, "A few days ago... Fujimori and I had a fight and... Ore... I said something which made Fujimori mad..." He paused as everyone in the room heard Nakou whisper 'yappari' out in the hall, "It's just... I don't know how to apologize... that's all..."

"You do realize that you came to the worst possible choice when it comes to Sunao, right?" Shinichirou mentioned, with a bit of a concerned frown, "If you're looking for romance advice, we can't give you any, and when it comes to apologies, my best advice is that you just say that you're sorry. And given it's Sunao, that probably won't be enough."

"Wakateiru." Sora snapped, impatiently, before Nanami spoke up.

"Ah!" He shuffled through papers on his desk before he found, what appeared to be, a flier kind of advertisement, "These people might be able to help you- reportedly, there's nothing they can't do." Sora cocked an eyebrow, but took the flier, and turned pale as he read it.

'Jack Of All Trades Inc.

Got a Problem? We can Handle it!

Call and one of our specialists will be over to assist you immediately!'

"I feel a chill for some reason..." Sora mumbled, a dark cloud suddenly hovering over his head.

* * *

"Why the hell did you have that flier on hand?" 

"Whenever we're both too busy, I call and ask if they could send someone to pick up groceries because we don't have the time..."

"That explains a few things..."

"Shinichirou!"

* * *

"Matsuri teme! Don't tell me you knew about this the whole time!" Sora demanded, brandishing the flier in Matsuri's face. After blinking for a moment, Matsuri took it, then frowned, both disappointed and concerned. 

"Well, I guess then it's back to the drawing board..." He muttered to himself. Sora stopped glaring, in surprise, "I thought that I'd be able to get the corporation started after I'd acquired enough funds... but somebody beat me to it, I guess..."

"Wait... you mean you don't know who started this up?" Sora asked, surprised. Matsuri shook his head, with a dramatic sigh.

"Not a clue." Matsuri confessed, but then smiled again, "De wa, you might as well call them- if they don't help you out, then you don't need to pay them, at least in theory!" Sora made a sour face and thought of all the clubs and people in high school that would have ripped them off if they'd used that excuse.

"...Matsuri..."

* * *

A/N: I trust my readers to be smart- hopefully, you know who it is by now.

* * *

"Yabai... Yabai desu..." Sora mumbled to himself as he resignedly dialed the number from his cellphone and listened to it ring. He was so tempted to hang up before someone on the other end answered- he really did have a bad feeling about this- but before he could do anything, someone picked up. 

"Moshi moshi! Jack of all Trades Incorporated- what may I do for you?" A chipper voice on the other end answered. Sora sighed and forced himself to talk.

"...Um... Hello... I was wondering if you did advisory sessions..." He mumbled. The voice was loud, but prompt.

"Atari mai daiou! That's my branch- what are you having difficulties in?" Sora was asked.

"...Relationships... I guess..." He mumbled.

Quickly, Sora managed to convey the situation without revealing any details, and the operator seemed to understand, before an idea was reached. The person on the other end even offered to deliver the 'Condolences Valentine' as Sora's package was apparently called.

Sora hung up and proceeded to crawl into bed and feel sorry for himself.

* * *

_"Nao... what's your favorite dessert?" Sora asked, sprawled out in the grass as the three of them stared up at the clouds._

_"...Mmm... wakarimasen..." Sunao mumbled around the sleeve of his baggy shirt, the edge of which was in his mouth as he sucked on it, "Matsuri-chan, what about you?"_

_"Peach cobbler." The blond immediately answered, and then pointed up into the sky where all of them could see a cloud shaped like a peach. Sunao laughed and Sora grinned, reaching up and taking Sunao's hand, gripping it tightly._

_"Kuu-chan... what about you?" Sunao then turned his head to look at Sora. The 'what about you' game never got old with the three of them._

_"...Strawberry mochi!" Sora finally said, and Matsuri reached up again and spotted a strawberry in the clouds. Sora reached up and Matsuri took his other hand._

_"Nao... what do you see up there? Maybe you'll find your favorite dessert." Matsuri suggested. Sunao tilted his head and blinked for a moment, before he pointed._

_"I see an apple!" He said, with delight, setting his hand down to grab Matsuri's other one, "That's it- my favorite is apple pie!"_

_The three of them continued to stare up at their favorite fruits, still hovering in the clouds, hands linked in a circle._

_"Ne... when we get older, we'll all still be friends, right?" Sunao asked, quietly, almost afraid. Both of this hands were squeezed by Sora and Matsuri._

_"Of course- our friendship is forever." Matsuri said, smiling._

_"And even if something happens to Matsuri, I'll still be with you, Nao." Sora added, "And if something happens to me, you'll still have Matsuri."_

_"And if something happens to me, Kuu-chan and Matsuri-chan will still be together." Sunao finished. All three of them sighed._

_"Demo... nothing will happen to any of us." Matsuri said again, "Shinji teru- We'll always have each other."_

_"And when we do get older and get jobs like grown-ups have to, we'll all have peach cobbler and apple pie and strawberry mochi together." Sora said and Sunao smiled._

_"Sou da... like a tea party..."_

* * *

"Damn if that wasn't a weird dream..." Sora muttered, waking up and running a hand through his hair, before he was hit by a realization, "Sou da!" 

He quickly got dressed and went out the door, going for the nearest bakery.

By the time the day ended, Sora had gotten a lot of cards and handmade chocolates from admiring, but wary students. He was careful whenever he thought someone was watching him to not let anything fall off the desk in the math room or accidentally throw it in the trash. A good deal of them were actually pretty nice, but he just didn't really care at this point.

Sora had gotten home just in time for the doorbell to ring. He checked to make sure he'd wrapped it nicely, and had put the card in the box, before opening the door.

And staring.

The 'Delivery Boy' was a young man with blue hair and bright blue eyes, and for a moment, Sora thought he was staring at someone with a mirror on their head before he saw two antennae-like strands of hair dangling down around his face.

"...Sora... niichan?" The young man asked, and although it was more mature, there was no mistaking that voice.

"...Sei???" Sora's jaw dropped, and he was glad hadn't actually been holding the box as Sei jumped at him with his arms open.

"SORA-NIICHAN!!!"

Sora's fist met with Sei's head before he could finish the hug.

"That's 'Hashiba-sensei' to you." He said, sternly. Sei drooped

"I'm an adult now- I can call you what I want." Sei answered, pouting. Sora rolled his eyes.

"Then stop talking like a little kid and calling me 'Sora-niichan'." Sora scolded, but Sei just giggled, "De... so, Sei, you're the one who started up this whole..." Sora made a vague gesture and Sei shrugged.

"Actually, Shiina, Kitamura, and I all worked for a few years after school, then compiled and became partners to start it up." He explained, and Sora sighed.

"You're gonna have to explain that to Matsuri- he wanted to be the one to found it." Sora groused, scratching the back of his head. Sei made a face.

"Tell Matsuri-senpai we're not sorry- business is going well." Sei said, with a touch of dry humor that he'd developed with the same immaturity that he'd had in school. Sora rolled his eyes.

"Dame. You do that yourself." He said, before turning and picking up the package, "I can't give it to Fujimori personally- he probably won't take it if I try to give it to him, myself. He's right next door, but won't be home until around nine- I hope you don't mind having to wait." Sora explained, handing Sei the package. Sei took it, then put it at his feet, explaining how the cost worked. With a heavy sigh, Sora handed him the money, before the younger one took off, leaving Sora, exhausted, free to crawl into bed.

* * *

Sunao was sore and exhausted as he almost literally crawled back to his apartment. It had been a harsher day, and he wanted nothing more than to take a few painkillers for his aches and injuries and curl up in bed. He didn't even think he'd be able to eat anything. 

His hopes of being able to relax and fall into a healing sleep were dashed when Sunao saw a blue haired man waiting in front of his door. Sunao wrinkled his nose and tried to pretend he didn't see him.

"Sunao-senpai..." Sunao froze at that tone of voice... it wasn't like Hashiba to whine...

Sunao turned around and suddenly recognized it wasn't Sora.

"...Sei?" He asked. The chibi-Sora grinned, then extended his arms with a box in them.

"A Valentine's Day delivery, courtesy of Jack of all Trades Incorporated!" He said, handing Sunao the package. Sunao took it, mostly out of surprise, before Sei bowed and ran off.

Sunao sighed as he put the box down on his table, muttering about how Nakou-chan needed to learn when some things were appropriate and when things weren't. However, he was surprised by the noise it made. Boxes of chocolate didn't make noises like that... like metal.

Curiosity piqued, Sunao unwrapped it, setting aside the note that fluttered out, until he lifted the lid to reveal an apple pie. Sunao's eyes went very wide and he immediately dived for the note.

'Fujimori,

Gomen. I didn't mean what I said about you only committing when there was something in it for you- I was just angry and it was the first thing that came to my mind to say in an argument like that.

This might not be the best thing, but I THINK when we were kids you liked apple pie, so that's why I got you one. You don't need to get anything for me on White Day, since it was my screw up- I just wanted to say I'm sorry.

-Hashiba Sora.'

Sunao stared at the note for a long time, before he noticed his hands were shaking.

Something hurt right between his ribs. It hurt so unspeakably much that Sunao wondered how he was still breathing. How could Hashiba just...

Dimly, Sunao was aware that the note was crumpled up in his hands, pressed against his chest. It wasn't because the apology had been so beautiful or touching or anything like that. It wasn't because of the apple pie. It wasn't really anything...

But...

He remembered... He REMEMBERED...

After a moment, Sunao blinked, then glanced at the clock. It was late... but maybe...

Sunao slammed the note down on his table, then grabbed his wallet and keys and headed out the door, locking it tightly behind him as he took off at a run.

* * *

"Nandaiyo..." Sora looked up at his clock. 10:30. And someone was knocking on his door. 

"I should be used to it..." Sora grumbled- and he actually was, kind of. At least he could tell where he was going and would be able to keep a civil tongue if it was the elderly landlady come to check on him or something like that.

It wasn't. It was Fujimori.

Sora blinked once, then twice, seeing the other man at his door, and was sorely tempted to slam it in his face, but he couldn't. He just couldn't- not after the long ass month he'd had, agonizing over the last time he did something to blow his former roommate off.

Sora only barely caught it when Sunao shoved a box into his arms.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Hashiba." He said. Sunao's voice wasn't icy, like it usually would be when offering something like this. But it wasn't that warm or kind, either... it was... polite. And gentle. Not cold, but not warm, either... Sora blinked, and opened his mouth to say something, before Sunao interrupted.

"Just keep in mind I want another one of those apple pies for White Day." He added. The slightly icy edge was back to it, and Sora wasn't sure if he was happy about it or not. Finally, he just smiled.

"Yosh! Glad to see I was right about that. Arigatou na, Fujimori." Sora went back in and closed the door. He opened the box to see that inside were four, perfect strawberry mochi. He snickered and took one out to bite into.

"Guess I was right about this, too..."

* * *

Outside Sora's door, Sunao continued to stand there, staring at the nameplate that read 'Hashiba Sora'. 

He wasn't even aware of the tears running tracks down his cheeks.

"Arigatou... Kuu-chan..."

* * *

_"Fujimori, is something wrong?" Sora asked, plopping down next to his friend on the bed where Sunao was sitting, curled up with his knees to his chest._

_"...Betsuni... Hashiba..." Sunao replied. Sora put an arm around the other boy's shoulders, grinning somewhat coyly._

_"Aww... don't be like that- I'll think you don't like me anymore..." He purred, and Sunao shivered, both regretting and feeling appreciative that Sora no longer had Yoru- some times, he could swear they'd merged, instead of gone their separate ways._

_Sunao's eyes narrowed a little bit._

_"...I was just thinking... Hashiba..." Sunao explained, looking a little guilty._

_"Nani...ni tsuite?" Sora asked, lazily draping himself over his roommate's shoulders._

_"...Ore-tachi... Hashiba..." Sunao continued. Sora's act of being stupid dropped and he gave Sunao a serious look._

_"Fujimori..."_

_"...I don't know if it's this way for you, too, Hashiba... but... lately... things haven't... things haven't felt the same for me..." Sunao caught the look on Sora's face, "It's not that I'm going to start saying I hate you again, Hashiba... it's just... I guess it almost feels like we're just friends again... not... something else..." Sunao explained. Sora blinked at him, then frowned, as though pondering._

_"...Ore wa... I guess I see what you mean..." Sora muttered, also looking somewhat like Sunao knew his face looked like, "We're not... like that anymore... are we?" Sunao shook his head._

_"...I guess, Hashiba... what I'm saying is... if you want, we can keep going... but I don't want Hashiba to be uncomfortable like this..." Sunao offered, not meeting Sora's eyes. Sora didn't make any attempt to make eye contact, either, before he mumbled._

_"Ii yo... I mean, Fujimori... you said that we'd be friends, still, right? So... we'd just be like we were when we were kids, right? It's not that bad..." Sora's voice was strained. Sunao turned to see the smile on his face was equally strained, as though he didn't really mean it. Sunao offered a small smile back, and gripped his friend's hand, giving it a squeeze._

_"Yeah... we'll still be friends..." He said. Sora smiled, then stood up and bounced over to his bed, pulling Toushizou into his arms._

_"I won't wake up for weird reasons tonight." He called._

_Sunao stared, then went to take a shower and get ready for bed._

_When he came back, Sora was fast asleep. Sunao didn't know that the next day, the other boy would go crying to Matsuri for comfort and that the best Matsuri would be able to offer would be 'Sometimes relationships end' and 'Sometimes feelings change'._

_Sunao stared down at his old friend, before leaning over and giving him a small kiss._

_"Gomen nasai... Kuu-chan..." He whispered._

* * *

Sunao woke up again, in the middle of the night, and no matter how much he tossed and turned, he couldn't fall asleep again. 

After a moment's gathering of strength, he crawled out onto the balcony and climbed over to Sora's, sneaking in and managing to slip under Sora's covers without waking him.

One arm went around his waist- probably out of instinct, from all the nights Ran had come in to spend- and Sunao...

Sunao fell asleep, at last.

* * *

"Do you think it worked out?" Nanami asked his lover as he cleaned the dishes from their dinner. Shinichirou shrugged, noncommittally, but Nanami could tell he was worried, too. 

"Given those two... who knows?" The former teacher mused, flipping through a newspaper.

Nanami hung his head a little.

"...At least they have each other, now..." He said, softly. Shinichirou started, and looked up, seeing Nanami drooping. He stood up and walked over, somewhat forcibly straightening Nanami's back.

"Nanami..." He whispered, and had to still the smaller man's hands, they were shaking so badly.

"...I know..." Nanami whispered, not looking up, "I know how long it's been... but there are still times when I worry about not knowing where they are..." Nanami wasn't crying, but his voice was definitely shaking, "Sometimes... I remember going back for them.. and leaving Fujimori-kun behind... and other times... I remember..."

"Yamero!" Shinichirou commanded, softly, gripping Nanami's hands and forcing him to release the knife he had been washing, just in case his hand slipped and he cut himself.

"Yamero..." Shinichriou said, again, whispering this time. His arms wound tighter around Nanami's waist, holding onto his arms so he didn't shake.

"...Shinichirou..." Nanami whispered back, almost in shock, as though he was just remembering that his lover was there.

"We agreed." Shinichirou reminded Nanami, "We agreed- no more of that."

Shinichirou punctuated his statement by kissing softly next to his lover's ear, trailing them down his jaw. Nanami shivered, just a little.

"...Sh-Shinichirou..." He repeated, softly, feeling a squeeze from Shinichirou's hands, which, surely and firmly, turned him around so they embraced.

Nanami clung to it like a lifeline, arms still twitching, but some of the nervousness draining away as Shinichirou's arms around his waist tightened, one of those hands liberally groping lower. Nanami didn't protest- he was too distracted by other things, both carnal, and serious.

Shinichrou paused his trail of kisses around Nanami's jawline for the smaller of the two to voice his worst concern.

"It feels like everything is repeating, all over again." He whispered. Shinichirou's grip around his waist tightened again, almost painfully, but Nanami was shaking so badly, he didn't notice.

"...We'll get through it. All of us will." Shinichirou finally said, and it sounded like a load of bull to him, too, but it was something Nanami had needed to be told. Nanami's fingers gripped at Shinichirou's shoulders even more tightly, and his arms pressed closer together around the other man's neck.

"...I... can't... I can't see that... not again... I don't want to have to see it again..." He finally confessed, and Shinichirou hung his head, pressing his mouth against his lover's neck, kissing him softly before pulling back.

"Don't worry- I won't do anything stupid this time..." He answered, and met the fearful look Nanami gave him, "I promise."

Nanami didn't answer, except to bury his face against his lover's chest.

Shinichirou didn't say anything, but continued to hold him for a long time after that.

* * *

"Eeeh? You saw Sora-senpai again today?" Ren Shiina asked as Hashiba Sei came back into the office, somewhat loopy from a day of running around delivering chocolates. 

"Hai... he wanted me to deliver something to Sunao-senpai." Sei confirmed, before adding, "And they live right next door to each other, too. But Sora-niichan said that Sunao-senpai wouldn't have taken it if he delivered it, personally."

Kitamura Fuuta sighed, ruffling his business-like hair.

"After ten years, they still fight all the time..." Shiina mused, somewhat exasperated, before Sei started up again.

"DE-MO! Why am I the only one out delivering packages? I'm one of the partners, too!" He insisted. Shiina shuffled papers and receipts, putting them in his desk.

"If you don't like it, then get better with office work- out of the three of us, you're the most useless around the office on days like this." He lectured. Kitamura made a face.

"What does that 'most useless' mean? Are you saying I'M useless around the office, too?" He demanded, nose wrinkled.

Shiina gave him The Look.

* * *

"Naruhodo! So, the Jack of all Trades was a project you came up with in high school... I didn't realize THAT was why Nao-kun and Sora had had to dress up as Tenshi-chans on Valentine's Day..." Nakou muttered, blushing. Matsuri chuckled. 

"School was a little more interesting with those two around..." Matsuri agreed, "Demo... I was still happy when they finally got together... And then... I guess things just stopped working and here we are, today..." Nakou tilted her head with curiosity.

"Matsuri-chan... were you ever like that with someone?" She asked, and the other shrugged.

"Can't say I was, before. I was more concerned with getting those two together or making money- Ah, sou da! I should let you borrow my copy of '100 ways to make money and live comfortably'!" Matsuri suddenly seemed to change the topic. Nakou shook her head.

"Thanks, but I've already got my own copy of that..." She replied, and it was Matsuri's turn to be embarrassed.

Then they were both quiet.

"Nao-kun's right..." Nakou finally whispered, and when Matsuri raised his eyebrows, she explained, "We really are more alike than we seem..."

Matsuri smiled, reassuringly.

"That's how Nao-kun says he thinks of you as a friend." He explained, and Nakou blushed again, but out of flattery this time.

They reached her apartment, and Matsuri bowed, graciously, if a little playfully.

"Matsuri-chan, I'd swear you are the prince of devious plans." Nakou mused, a glint in her eye. Matsuri laughed and rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, I'm a useless prince without my partner in crime at my side." He reminded her. Nakou chuckled and held out her hand.

"De wa, my thanks for you escorting me home, Oji-sama!" She teased. Matsuri smiled, took her hand, and kissed the back.

"'Twas but my pleasure, Ohime-sama!" He returned. The two snickered, both at the surely idiotic show they were putting on, and out of sheer giddiness, before bidding each other goodnight.

* * *

A/N: Things will get better... honestly! 

Anyhoo... I do realize that, essentially, I've made about a year go by- the first chapter, Shinichirou talks about student's exams coming up, and now it's Valentine's day... but the anime didn't seem to care about little things like that- the night of the Valentine's Day episode, it snowed, and the next day, Matsuri was parading around in SPRING clothes and the stupid Peiron hat. So... I don't care.

Translations:

Tenshi-chans- Angel-chans.

Ora!- An angry way of saying 'Hey!' Sometimes it sounds like 'Kora', but its a much ruder way of saying it, just the same.

Yappari- Someone corrected my former entry of 'shitte ta'. This is the better way of saying 'I knew it'

Wakateiru- Again, someone corrected me- but it's an annoyed way of saying 'I KNOW that'

Yabai... Yabai desu...- Bad... this is bad... (I'm pretty lousy at this stuff- I needed correction again.)

Wakarimasen- (spelling?) I don't know

Shinji teru- I believe that.

Yosh!- Okay!

Betsuni- Nothing.

Nani... ni tsuite?- Essentially, translates to "'Bout what?"

Ore-tachi- Us.

Yamero- Stop. Unlike 'Yamete' which is either more polite or more of a request, 'Yamero' is a command.

Naruhodo!- I see!

Expect to start looking through other chapters for some translations- It's going to get worse if you want to see everything in English. Sorry- I'm learning more Japanese, and I gotta use it, somehow... I also re-uploaded this chapter with corrections, because there were so many GLARING mistakes with the Japanese as opposed to one or two.


	8. Chapter 8

10 years

By Sapadu

A/N: Once again, a thank you to everyone reading, as well as a thanks for your patience if my chapters become slowed- college finals are coming up, and I do have other work to do, fic-wise and other-wise.

I don't own the series, game, or anything. ...Still... much to the dismay of some, I'm sure...

* * *

Fujimori Sunao awoke with a poke to his ribs. 

"Oi, Fujimori... Okiro!"

Sunao turned over and tried to hide his head, before he realized that, if someone was shouting at him... it meant he wasn't alone. Blearily, he rolled back over and blinked at the face hovering over his.

"...Ha...shiba?" He mumbled, before remembering that he'd crawled in during the night.

"Okiro ze! Chikoku suru zo!" Sora repeated... Sunao remembered how he'd said those exact same words the first day they met again...

Wait... late?

Sunao shot out of bed in an instant, panicking. Oh God! What time was it if Hashiba was already awake? Oh God, Oh God, Oh God!

"Oi... you're not late yet..." Sora interrupted Sunao's hunt for a timepiece, "I woke you up with enough time..." After a pause, Sora then added, "But only because I woke up really early and couldn't fall back to sleep..."

Sunao wasn't comforted as he found a clock with the time glowing on it- 5:15.

"HASHIBA!" Sunao shouted, making a mad dash for the balcony, vaulting over it, and only dimly hearing Sora call that he'd made breakfast.

Hashiba Sora, thus, was left with two plates of food, one of which he now felt certain was not going to be eaten, and grumbling about a lack of gratitude from a certain ex-roommate. With a sigh, he sat down to try and enjoy his breakfast alone. However, just a few moments later, Sora heard a knock on his door.

Somehow, Sora was both not surprised, and very surprised, to see Sunao on his doorstep. Very surprised because he hadn't expected the other man to come back and not surprised because... well, who else would it have been?

"You said you made breakfast, Hashiba." Sunao said, cocking an eyebrow, and Sora's face must have looked like he'd needle Sunao about being greedy or mooching, because he immediately added, "I just don't want any food to go to waste- it would be..."

Sora rolled his eyes- as soon as Fujimori had started, he'd known it would be an excuse like that.

"Hai, hai... just come in before it goes bad..." Sora groused, holding the door open for Sunao to enter. He did so and quickly toed off his shoes before sitting down to eat, as Sora joined him at the other side of the table.

Sunao had barely taken a bite before he looked up and stared at Sora, who blinked with curiosity.

"Nani yo... Fujimori?" Sora asked, with a frown, as Sunao let the ends of his chopsticks drop from his lips.

"...It's good... Hashiba..." He said, picking up some of his rice and eating it quickly. For some odd reason, the good flavor of the rest of the breakfast needed to be drowned out with the bland rice- maybe just because he wasn't used to having something taste so good.

"Nanami-chan taught me how to cook it." Sora explained, scooping up some omelets and eating them quickly to avoid looking Sunao in the face. Sunao scowled slightly, as he knew what the other was doing, and turned to his soup, draining the bowl before finishing, and excusing himself.

"Thank you, Hashiba- it was very good." Sunao's voice was somewhat icy again, but he got into his shoes and took off. Sora sat, somewhat stunned at what had transgressed, before finishing at his own pace.

"Somehow... I don't think that's what it's like for Nii-chan and Nanami-chan when THEY have breakfast together..." Sora muttered to himself, resentfully.

* * *

"Shinichirou... are you just not hungry today?" Nanami asked, as his lover just poked at the mackerel that Nanami had grilled for breakfast. 

Shinichirou seemed to wake up, and finally started eating.

"...No... I'm fine..." He insisted. In truth, Shinichirou's mind was somewhere completely different. Even though he was sure Nanami's cooking was wonderful as usual, it tasted like ash in his mouth. And the normal morning noises were muffled by a kind of layer of gauze.

"You look pale- are you sure that you're fine?" Nanami fussed, putting a hand on his forehead. Shinichirou shook it off.

"...I'm just thinking..." Shinichirou mumbled, starting to eat a bit more enthusiastically. Nanami frowned, as though able to sense that his lover was lying.

"Nani ni tsuite?" He asked, sitting down and gripping Shinichirou's hand.

Shinichirou stared off into space before he finally started to speak.

"...Do you think... there's something that we're missing?" He said at last, and Nanami's eyes widened.

"Do iu imi desu ka?" He asked, not liking the sound of that, at all. Shinichirou paused, easily, as he had only started eating to appease Nanami, so he didn't think it was something wrong with his cooking that was stopping him.

"...Ever since Sunao reappeared, things seemed to have been happening... It might not be something to be too surprised over... but the fact that Ran is still with him, after all this time, is still something that I wouldn't have expected..." Shinichirou began, running his hand through his hair, "...The thing is, he's never willingly spending time with Sora, even though he claims he thinks of him as a friend- either us, Sora, or Sunao's own fiancé has to force him into it... It makes me wonder if there's something Sunao's not telling us..."

Nanami didn't react well to this idea.

"...Shinichirou... do you think..." Nanami asked, as Shinichirou put a hand on top of Nanami's folded ones and squeezed, reassuringly.

"...I just don't understand why... and he even admitted that he deliberately didn't contact Sora for these past ten years, despite having the means to do so..." Shinichirou continued, glaring down into his bowl of miso, as though it were responsible for all their troubles.

Nanami squeezed back.

"...Shinichirou... I think... I don't believe it's because Fujimori-kun means to harm us again..." He said, and Shinichirou looked up to meet his gaze, "...The last time... Fujimori-kun was sent to become close to us and then betray us... I don't believe he would be doing that if he was trying to push Hashiba-kun away..." Nanami's voice quivered, but he kept talking.

"I realize it might be sentimental and naïve... but... right now... if Fujimori-kun is trying to help protect all of us from something... he needs our trust now, more than ever." Shinichirou lifted his other hand and put it on Nanami's shoulder, as it started shaking with the rest of the nurse, "It might be foolish... but I want to believe that Fujimori-kun doesn't mean us any wrong this time..."

"Nanami..." Shinichirou whispered, pulling his hand away from Nanami's grip to pull him into a hug. Nanami stiffened, but then buried his face against his lover's shirt, sighing.

"...Maybe you should call in sick yourself, today..." Shinichirou suggested. Nanami shook his head, before standing up and leaving the table and Shinichirou for work.

With a sigh, Shinichirou started to clean up for Nanami, forcing himself to finish his breakfast, even though he neither tasted it, nor felt hungry.

* * *

It began to rain around lunch. Sora normally wouldn't have cared, except it was actually pouring- to the point that he could see sheets of it stream down the windows and, from what he could tell, the fields for sports clubs outside were flooded. After about an hour of the rain, the intercom turned on, announcing that all clubs, outdoor and indoor were canceled for the day so students could get home safely. A half hour after that, an announcement came that if the storm didn't stop or lessen within reasonable time, students would be sent home early. 

Since Sora was halfway through a class as that announcement came up, he couldn't help but look out the window. The rain was literally so heavy that he couldn't see out the window, except the blur of color that was the dark storm clouds.

Only a few minutes after that, the power went out. Sora had to shout to make the students settle down enough to gather their things and go home. He was also somewhat relieved, especially as he went downstairs to the infirmary to find Nanami shakily getting his own things together.

"Nanami-chan... Do you need someone to walk you home?" He offered. Nanami jumped a little, but smiled all the same.

"...A-aah... Demo... Hashiba-kun..." He added, gesturing out the window, "...Did you bring an umbrella with you?" Sora blushed and scratched the back of his head.

"...Um... no?" He finally answered. Nanami smiled and pulled an umbrella out of his desk drawer.

"It's a good thing I keep this in here, then..." He noted, picking up his briefcase and following Sora to the school entrance. The two of them surveyed the road- there was solid concrete, gravel, and brick, but also a lot of grass and greenery, which was quickly turning to greenish mud, and flooding onto the otherwise wet, but not puddled walkways.

"Even with the umbrella, our shoes, socks, and feet are going to get swamped." Sora grumbled, looking down at his blue sneakers, as though feeling sorry for them. Nanami smiled as best he could and opened the umbrella.

"Then we should walk quickly."

The two set out, mostly in silence, as the thunder of rain on the umbrella drowned out most any noise, before Sora suddenly wondered, out loud,

"I wonder if Fujimori took an umbrella to work, today..." Nanami almost tripped as Sora spoke. His voice had been so soft, that Nanami doubted if he'd heard it, but it was unmistakable.

"Hashiba-kun..."

Sora was staring at the clouds off in the distance without leaving the shelter of the umbrella.

"Fujimori, aistu... he was really bad with water back then... I wonder if he's gotten over it..." Sora mumbled, continuing to walk. He left Nanami and took off at a run for his apartment at the point on the sidewalk where they went their separate ways. The rain was so thick, he could barely see in front of him, and he got inside the lobby of the complex, thoroughly soaked, but at least he was inside and nothing important in his briefcase was wet.

Sora curled up under his blankets, completely undressed as even his boxers had gotten soaked in the few seconds he'd run from the umbrella to the doors. After shivering for a moment, it suddenly occurred to him.

"What if Fujimori can't even get home?" This thought was disturbing enough, but the mental image of Fujimori trapped by the impenetrable rain in Sora's imaginary picture of where he worked- which, by no coincidence, resembled the old laboratory- was what made Sora get up and reach for his phone, for once grateful that Nakou had given him her number.

_"Just in case you want to talk or ask me to pass on a love-letter!"_

She'd winked and smiled at him, probably not realizing how right she was about the love-letter part.

Well... kind of...

The phone rang a few times before someone picked up.

"Hello?" Sora blinked at the accented English that came through. And, even though the storm was effecting his reception, Sora could have sworn he recognized it as Matsuri's voice.

"...Matsuri... did I get the wrong number?" Sora asked, speaking up just in case. Matsuri's voice sounded frantic in reply.

"Were you calling for Nakou-chan? She's here!" He said. Sora blinked. Well, even if it was a wrong number, at least he found her.

"I need to talk to her." Sora said, and heard a rustling as the phone was handed over and could have sworn he heard Matsuri tell Nakou 'He wants to speak with YOU- not ME!' in his mock wounded voice, and Nakou laugh, before her voice replied to him.

"So-ra! Do you have a love-love message you want me to give to Nao-kun?" Were her first words. Sora bit back a growl- he had to be nice, since he was asking her for a favor.

"Iya... 'Kedo... I need to know Fujimori's phone number... onegai shimasu..." He added the last two words as an afterthought, figuring it couldn't hurt to ask politely. Nakou paused on the other end.

"Nao-kun's phone number?" She asked, and when Sora affirmed this, Nakou paused before saying, "I have his cellphone number... I don't know if he has a phone in his office or anything, though..."

"Ii dai yo..." Sora pressed, urgently. Nakou gave him the number and Sora quickly bid his goodbye, hanging up and dialing the number given to him.

* * *

Nakou stared at the phone, before hanging it up, still seated at her table, before leaning forward and resting her head in her arms. Matsuri stayed standing, one hand on the table, the other on his hip as he pondered what he'd heard from the conversation. 

"Sora is worried about Nao-kun..." Nakou finally said, straightening and handing Matsuri the phone to put back in it's cradle, "He wanted to know what his phone number was, and he also seemed in a hurry about it, too..."

Matsuri's eyes grew dark and he looked away.

"...It's because of the weather..." He mused, and when Nakou inquired, he explained, "When we were in high school, one of our requests was to fill in for members for a boat race. Demo, Nao-kun... he couldn't do it... because he was afraid of water..." Nakou's eyes widened and she took a glance out the window at the curtains of rain coming down, "Sora stood up for Nao-kun when the other members harassed him for it... and I don't think either of them ever really forgot about it..."

Nakou clenched her hands, which were folded on the table.

"...So, while Nao-kun could have been stuck at work because of this weather... we've just been sitting here, talking about other things..." She murmured, raising Matsuri's eyebrows, before he smiled.

"Daijobu, daijobu..." He cheered, putting a hand on her shoulder, sitting down in the chair next to her at the round table, "If Sora's worried over it, I doubt he'll let anything happen to Nao-kun."

Nakou turned to stare at Matsuri, who winked at her, confidently, before she smiled back.

"Sou desu, ne?" She agreed.

* * *

"Perhaps you should rest for a bit." One of the other white coats was talking. Oh, wait... white coats couldn't talk... it was someone wearing it... The whole world felt... what was the word? Dizzy? No... but that was what HE felt like... 

Fujimori Sunao shakily stood up from the wastebasket which he had just finished vomiting into. Stupid Hashiba... it HAD to have been that food which was making him so sick. At least, that was what Sunao was going to tell anyone that asked.

He sat down on a bench in the coat room, staring out the window at the rain, before looking away with a violent shudder. That was when he heard something like beeping. What was that beeping, anyway? Did someone's timer go off? Was it an alarm... no, alarms were much more loud than that... so... what...

A hand nudged him and Sunao jumped.

"Your phone's ringing. Answer it." Someone said- Sunao's head was still spinning so that he didn't see clearly who it was, but he could tell the person was annoyed.

Running a hand over his face, Sunao shakily stood up and fished his cellphone out of his coat pocket.

Stupid white lab coat- he was only given one to wear outside. He wasn't a scientist or doctor like the rest of the people here... It was just a symbol of prestige, just to fool other people...

Sunao flipped his phone open.

"Moshi moshi..." He mumbled, somewhat incoherently, and turning down the volume- so the other person wouldn't be able to hear and so his ears wouldn't hurt if the other person shouted.

"Fujimori!" The voice sounded familiar... Sunao's eyes widened, "Fujimori, are you there?"

"...Oh, hello..." Sunao finally replied, "Why are you calling?" Please, oh please, oh please, oh please let Hashiba be smart enough to not need his name said. There was a pause, as though Hashiba was considering the issue, but when he spoke again, decided he didn't need to press.

"Fujimori, I'm just worried- it's raining really badly out there, now, and I just want to be sure you'll get home okay." Sora said, over the receiver. Sunao gulped.

"...I'll be fine... tell you what, if it gets really bad, I'll call you and let you know, then I'll... I don't know, call a taxi or something..." Sunao tried to sound neutral, at least, knowing very well that his ex-roommate wouldn't buy it.

"Fujimori, if you can't get home, call me and I'll get Nii-chan to come pick you up- got that?" Sora pushed, and Sunao paused for a moment, nodding and pretending that the other was talking.

"Okay, ja ne." He finally said, and hung up quickly.

"Who was that?" The other person asked. Sunao's hand shook as he replaced his phone in his coat pocket, but otherwise gave no indicator of anything.

"My fiancé. She's worried about how I'll get back to my apartment with the weather." He replied, and was very pleased that his voice didn't quake. The other person gave the weather outside a good look, before brushing past Sunao and returning to whatever he'd been pulled away from.

"Well, if the power goes out, we'll be closing early, anyway..."

Sunao held back a shudder.

* * *

Sora glared at the phone as he listened to the incessant beeping on the other end which meant Fujimori had hung up. 

"Fujimori no aitsu..." He grumbled, before deciding the best course of action would be to call Shinichirou- if Sunao needed a ride in this rain, Shinichirou would be the one to provide it.

This time, Sora had to try a few times before someone answered.

"Hai?" Someone growled on the other end. Ah- that would be Shinichirou.

"Niichan, I need to ask you something..." Sora said, figuring it would be best to get straight to the point. He heard his foster father spit something very rude and a voice that sounded like Nanami in the background protesting his obscenity.

"You can wait." Shinichirou finally said, with an air like he was going to hang up.

"It's important." Sora insisted, wondering what the hell had happened that had pissed him off so badly.

There was a pause and finally, Shinichirou spoke again.

"Start talking."

Sora sighed and began to explain his prior phone call to Sunao. After a pause he heard Shinichirou growl.

"If you're just calling to ask for a favor like that, you owe me for this." He snapped, before Sora continued.

"It's not just that, but how Fujimori was talking. He answered the phone and once he started talking, he didn't ask something like 'What do you want, Hashiba' or something like that. Through the whole conversation, he was talking really odd- like someone else was listening and he couldn't let them know it was me who he was talking to."

There was another pause, and Sora had a feeling that this time, he'd said something that was actually worth the breath.

"...Sora... when did you call Sunao...?" Shinichirou asked. Sora took a look at his clock before he shrugged, then remembered that Shinichirou couldn't see that.

"...I dunno, really... just before I called you... course, I had to wait a few times..." Sora grumbled that last bit to himself, but he heard Shinichirou snort.

"Sora, if Sunao calls you again, don't ask him any questions about it- if you do, he'll be even less likely to answer." Shinichirou instructed, and Sora rolled his eyes.

"Wakateiru..." He grumbled, and then the connection was severed- probably because of the storm, but Sora didn't care. Now, he just had to wait, and try to hold down his stomach.

* * *

"Shinichirou... nande..." Nanami asked as he sat up, pulling the blankets up to cover his chest in a very feminine gesture. Shinichirou let out a long sigh, before putting the phone back on the hook and turning back around. He pushed Nanami back down, covering the petite body with his own and stilling Nanami's shaking. 

"...Sunao, again..." He said, "He's been acting suspiciously, even over the phone, according to Sora, now..." Shinichirou paused as Nanami's skinny arms slowly inched around his waist, "...And, later, he might call back if Sunao can't walk home in the weather..."

Nanami peered up into Shinichirou's face with a vulnerable expression.

"Shinichirou..." Nanami whispered, before Shinichirou put a hand behind his lover's head, pulling him closer for a silencing kiss. Shinichirou's hand slipped from being tangled in Nanami's chestnut hair to caress the side of his face, Shinichirou finally pulling away as he felt something suspiciously like a tear touch his fingertips, which he brushed away.

"...Shinichirou..." Nanami whimpered, as his beloved pulled him closer, kissing down his neck.

"What you said earlier... about how you didn't deserve to have me after everything that you caused... what did I say to that?" Shinichirou whispered, his other hand on Nanami's hips, pressing them closer to his own, which made Nanami gasp and writhe just a little before he answered.

"...If I deserved you... didn't matter..." Nanami whispered, breath hitching as Shinichirou kissed along his collarbone.

"I changed my mind- it's not that it doesn't matter. It's that it's not true." Shinichirou mumbled against Nanami's chest, "And I intend to prove it."

* * *

A/N: See? Molestation! Oh, and Shinichirou was just upset that Sora interrupted their playtime.

* * *

Sora was surprised when his cellphone rang just an hour later. 

"Moshi moshi..." He said, and on the other end, he thought he heard something like whimpering.

"...Sora... you have to come, now..." A voice said, quietly. Sora blinked, trying to place the voice.

"Onegai... I'm scared... and Nao's scared, too..." The voice pleaded, and Sora finally understood.

"RAN?" He shouted into the speaker. Sora could practically hear Ran flinch away from the loud noise, and tried again, "Ran... where are you and Fujimori right now?" This time, his voice was a little more gentle.

Ran sniffled.

"The facility... the grounds around it are flooded... Nao didn't bring an umbrella..." Ran was mumbling somewhat incoherently, before Sora interrupted.

"No, where is the facility?" He said, and when Ran told him, Sora almost tripped over himself trying to find paper to write directions onto.

"Okay- I'll call Niichan and we'll come get you two..." Sora hung up and after quickly dialing Shinichirou's number and explaining, Sora was more than relieved that Shinichirou was as good as his word and made it by in less than two minutes.

They reached the facility within ten minutes and were not so surprised to see that the building seemed to be literally surrounded by a deep puddle of water, dammed up by the wall of bricks that surrounded it. Sora was glad he had the sense to put on a raincoat and boots this time, and ran out of the car towards the doors with an umbrella.

"FUJIMORI!" Sora shouted, throwing the door open. He could see Sunao sitting on the floor, huddled in his coat, before he looked up and Sora saw red eyes staring back at him.

"Ran..." He muttered, walking over as water dripped on the floor.

"The power went out... everyone else is gone." Ran mumbled, expression blank. Sora extended a hand to help Ran up, which he took.

"Fujimori's still scared of water..." Sora mused, giving Ran a sympathetic look. Ran narrowed his eyes.

"Aren't you still afraid of fire?" He demanded. Sora glanced away, before unfolding the umbrella .

"Get on my back- it really is swamped out there." He told Ran, not looking at him, but Sora could tell that Ran was giving him a disgusted look- well earned, since his raincoat was drenched- but did so as Sora pushed the doors open and took off for the car at a run.

Shinichirou had covered the back seats with plastic as the two climbed in and slammed the doors.

"Sora- the school called Nanami while we were here. They're closed tomorrow because of the flooding." Shinichirou informed them as the slow ride back to the apartments started. Sora blinked, for a moment, wondering why Shinichirou was bringing it up.

"As such... you two are staying with us overnight- just in case." Shinichirou continued, as they approached the apartment he and Nanami shared. Sora made a noise as though he was going to shout, except Ran interrupted.

"That's okay... Nanami wants to be sure we aren't sick, is that it?" Shinichirou paused, then turned around, eyes widening as he saw Ran.

"Omae wa..."

* * *

It was dinner time before Sunao came back out, and promptly proceeded to have a semi break-down and freak out, muttering unintelligible reasons why he HAD to be back at his apartment. It was only when Nanami checked his temperature that he was proclaimed, indeed, to have a fever. 

"Sou ka..." Sunao muttered as Nanami read off his temperature at 38.4 C, "...I guess I really am sick, then..." He finally said, before accepting the cold cloth Nanami provided to put over his forehead.

"What do you mean 'I guess', Fujimori?" Sora demanded, sipping his tea and giving Sunao a scathing look. Sunao turned his head enough to glare at his former roommate from under the cold cloth.

"Earlier today, I threw up and I thought it was because of HASHIBA'S not-properly-prepared breakfast. But, it seems it was just whatever gave me the fever." Sunao snapped, and Sora slammed down his mug.

"Hey- I'M not sick, so it's just because you haven't been eating or something that you got sick from it- don't blame it on me, Fujimori!" Sora shouted back, causing Sunao to flinch away, clutching at his head.

"Don't shout, Hashiba..." He growled, turning so he didn't look at Sora anymore. By this point, Nanami had returned with some hot soup, which Sunao stared at for a moment before reluctantly starting to eat, until his phone rang. After a few moments of staring, Sunao picked it up, retreated into the bathroom and answered it. Sora and Nanami stared after him, wondering what it could have been that he needed such absolute privacy for.

Sunao emerged, wobbling, with his phone closed and clutching the drying cloth to his forehead.

"The facility will be closed tomorrow so there can be repairs to the water damage." Was all he said, before sitting back down and continuing to eat. Sora frowned at Sunao's lacking explanation, but couldn't heckle him about it.

"I'm glad, Fujimori-kun. That means you'll have tomorrow to recover from whatever it is giving you this fever." Nanami replied, with a smile. Sora glanced at his surrogate mother's face, and could see the smile didn't quite seem sincere.

"Gochiso-sama..." Sunao mumbled, putting down his spoon. Sora looked back at his ex-roommate, then down at the bowl, to see it was still half full. He shot Sunao a glare.

"Oi- if you're sick you should eat all of that." Sora said, impatiently. Sunao didn't meet his gaze.

"I'm just not hungry, Hashiba."

"You had no problem coming to my apartment this morning, saying that you didn't want food to go to waste."

"That was different." Sunao insisted, glaring at the table. Sora lost his temper and stood up, slamming his hands down on the table as he did so.

"Different how? Nanami-chan's cooking is better than mine, so you should have let MY food go to waste, not his." Sora insisted, shouting again, almost to deliberately make his roommate flinch away. Nanami had to interfere to stop them.

"Maa maa... If Fujimori-kun is sick, he shouldn't eat too much or he'll upset his stomach." Nanami urged, trying to placate Sora's temper. After a moment of glaring, Sora looked away, snappishly. It was then that Shinichirou entered.

"You two can stay in the guest room- just don't argue or make any noise, because sound carries really well in this place." He told them and Sunao was more than pleased to adjourn to the room.

It was much to his chagrin, however, that he discovered there was only one bed.

"Oh, well... Hashiba can sleep on the floor." Sunao muttered to himself, crawling under the covers and starting to doze.

He was awoken, however, when he felt something sink down on the bed next to him. Almost out of instinct, Sunao kicked at the intruder, only to have his ankle grabbed by a firm hand. Rolling over, Sunao caught sight of a single blue eye and a single mismatched one.

He gaped for a moment, before finding words.

"...Yo... ru..." Sunao finally whispered, receiving only a glare for it.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Yoru demanded, pushing Sunao back down with a kind of force that meant he was angry. Sunao shivered for a moment, staring wide-eyed up at the alter-ego of Sora that they both thought had disappeared, completely.

"If you destroy yourself, you destroy Ran- how dare you?" Yoru hissed again and Sunao almost desperately tried to push Ran forward.

_Dame._

Sunao gulped, incredibly afraid of what Yoru would do if it wasn't Ran.

_He's talking to YOU. Yoru wouldn't lecture me about this, because I take care of myself. You don't._

Well, so much for THAT idea...

"Explain." Yoru said in a harsh whisper. Sunao looked away, guiltily.

"...Ore... I just don't want Hashiba to get involved again..." Sunao finally stammered. Yoru blinked, and his gaze softened a little, "...Because... he's been worried about me, even though I've just caused him trouble..."

"Sora's forgiven you for that. He doesn't hold petty grudges." Yoru replied, and there was an unsaid 'Unlike you' that Sunao swore he could have heard.

"It's not just for that time... but since we met again... I've only made everyone worry about me... Hashiba... Masturi-chan... and everyone else..." Sunao mumbled, retreating just a little. Yoru gave Sunao a strange look, almost as though he could see right into his head, before Sunao finally said, "Do you want to see Ran?"

"...Aah..." Yoru replied, almost noncommittally. In practically an instant, Sunao's pink eyes turned into Ran's red eyes, before Yoru's arms were full of the body that Ran and Sunao shared.

"Yoru..." Ran cooed, happily, "...Yoru..." Yoru smiled and let his lover mumble his names a few more times,

"Daijobu ka, Ran?" Yoru mumbled, holding Ran a little closer. Ran shivered, but nodded, sighing with relief.

"I knew you couldn't be gone, Yoru... I just knew it..."

Yoru just kissed Ran.

* * *

Sometime around midnight, Shinichirou looked over his shoulder at the wall between the room he and Nanami shared and the guest room, glaring with annoyance at the very loud, disturbing noises, which sounded incredibly like someone one screaming 'Yoru' coming through the plaster. 

Nanami pulled Shinichirou back down, snuggling against him with a little sigh of contentment.

"We should have guessed, huh?" Shinichirou muttered, distastefully, as Nanami chuckled a little.

A/N: Yep- Yoru's back! He was never gone to begin with.

I've got the actual plan all worked out- in terms of which chapters correspond with which episodes. Pretty simple, actually...

Ch. 1 & 2- Episode 1. Duh.

Ch. 3- Episode 2

And from there on, the chapters correlate to the episodes. I realize that the whole thing with the chibi-tachi's is out of place, but... creative lisence. I'll leave it up to you guys to figure out why I say chapters correlate the way they do.

Oh... and don't ask WHY I'm doing it. Just don't.

Translations:

Okiro!- Get up!

Okiro ze! Chikoku suru zo!- I said, get up! You're gonna be late! (If anyone hasn't noticed, I took this completely from the first episode, as it's the first thing Sora says to Nao in the morning.)

Do iu imi desu ka?- What do you mean by that?

Ii dai yo- It'll work fine.

Sou desu, ne?- I've heard so many different translations of this, but it equivocates to agreeing with someone, like 'I guess you're right' or 'I suppose that's true'


	9. Chapter 9

10 years

By Sapadu

A/N: Summer vacation has begun. And my search for jobs- wish me luck, as the market sucks. But, aside from that- thank you for your support, and yes, Yoru is 'Back'. Or, as Ran will explain, resurfacing.

There is no copyright ownership over here. None over there... go check another guy's house.

* * *

Fujimori Sunao awoke feeling stiff and sore, and noticing, for a second time in two days that he was not in his own bed or apartment. He also felt far too refreshed for him to have possibly been awake on time.

His head swam as he looked up at the clock, noticing that it was well past nine.

"...Kuso..." He mumbled, burying his face in the pillow before an arm around his waist tightened.

Then, his eyes shot open as the memory of last night sank in- he had a fever, the facility was closed for repairs today, and...

Sunao's pupils dilated as it suddenly occurred to him how very BARE the arm around his waist was... as well as the waist said arm was around...

With a very sincere sensation of panic setting into his stomach, Sunao looked back over his shoulder at the face of Hashiba Sora. Very calmly, especially given how much he was panicking right then, Sunao slithered out of Sora's grip, onto the floor, picking up his clothes, and running into the bathroom.

As the first spray of shower water hit him, Sunao braced himself against the wall, shaking with the force of what this meant.

For one thing, Yoru was back. But... how? Even Hashiba had sworn that Yoru had left, that he'd made him leave... so... how... before Ran piped up.

_We're not your servants- we have our own souls, too. And, because we're part of your subconsciouses, we never go away- we just become less obtrusive._

Oh... well... now that Sunao thought about it, it made sense. For the longest time, he and Sora had referred to Ran and Yoru as though they were entirely different people all together who possessed them or something of that sort, but all the time forgetting that, in the beginning, they themselves had created Yoru and Ran as a means of escaping their experiences in the laboratory.

Sunao shivered, fingernails scraping against the tiled wall. For all these years, he'd insisted that Yoru was gone- that Hashiba Sora was now just himself, and that alone. But this sudden development screwed up virtually everything.

Then... oh god...

"...kusokusokusokusokuso..." Sunao sank to his knees and curled up under the spray of the shower. He... no, Ran... they HAD to have... after all those years... there was no way they HADN'T...

It didn't bother Sunao so much that he wasn't a virgin- he'd lost that LONG ago, so he really didn't care about something like that. But... oh GOD...

What was he supposed to tell Nakou-chan NOW? Well... she'd probably take that as a victory, since she'd been working so hard to pair him back up to Hashiba again... but how was he supposed to tell her that it hadn't been HIM and it hadn't been HASHIBA... Their bodies had had sex, but... they hadn't...

And... OH GOD... what if Nakou-chan's PARENTS and the go-between found out about this...? Oh, were THEY going to be pissed... And that he'd had sex with a MAN, no less... a woman who wasn't his fiancé was bad enough... but in some cases it might be seen as a display of manliness or trying to gain experience to be a good father... but...

Sunao pressed a hand against his face and started to cry.

* * *

Sora woke up much closer to noon than Sunao had, blinking his eyes blearily as he stumbled out of bed. He stretched before noting that he was very naked. After a moment of looking around for any indicator of a second person in the room, all he spotted were his clothes in a pile at the end of the bed. Oh...

Sora scratched his head for a moment, then figured that he must have just taken them off for a lack of pajamas.

...Fujimori must have just slept on the floor, in a place where Sora hadn't noticed him...

"Fujimori no aistu... He knew he was sick, why didn't he take the bed?" Sora muttered, stumbling into the shower and rinsing himself off quickly. When he stepped out, a pile of folded clothes- his ones from yesterday that Nanami had taken the care to wash and dry, just in case- waiting for him.

Sora smiled, a little wistfully, and dressed in them, appreciatively.

Both Nanami and Shinichirou were in the kitchen, with, what looked like, lunch instead of breakfast in front of them. Apparently, the two had both slept in on their day off as well as he had.

"...Naa... did you see Fujimori anywhere?" Sora finally asked, as Nanami somehow magically produced a plate for him to eat off of. Shinichirou shook his head, moodily sipping his tea.

"Why? Did something happen?" Nanami asked, and Sora had the distinct impression that they both knew something he didn't.

"...Betsuni..." Sora muttered, sullenly, sliding into his seat.

Nanami and Shinichirou shared a glance, then stared back down at the table. Sora looked between the two of them, then left, his food uneaten, picking up his shoes and leaving the apartment for his own home, disgusted.

* * *

Later that day, Sora found out when he got a call from the school, would be the start of a new term, so he would have new classes to deal with.

That didn't make it easier for Sora when he got out of bed the next day and didn't want to wake up.

It was due to this bad mood of his that he didn't read his class list very carefully, and ended up at lunch in the math room, feeling like a criminal for having inspired a new definition of terror in his new class. Really, he didn't understand how Minato grew to apparently find pleasure in the role as the sadistic, perverted lecher with the pointer.

As Sora sat at his desk, going over papers and feeling sorry for himself- he remembered around mid-morning that he hadn't made himself lunch, so now, he was starving- a knock at the door made him jump, before he turned to see one of the boys from his new class. Sora frowned.

The boy had dark eyes and hair which fell over his face in bangs. He looked too small in his baggy uniform, and seemed to be shrinking as Sora glared. In all, he looked terribly shy and timid, which gave Sora a bad feeling about why he was here.

He was thus, surprised when the boy extended his hand with a note.

"'Tousan said he doesn't have any other way of contacting you, sensei." The boy explained, before leaving.

Sora opened and quickly read the note:

Sora-kun,

Shinichirou and Nanami were worried about you, so please come and see me as soon as possible.

-Kozuki Ryouya

Sora gaped, looked back at the door where the boy- apparently a ten-years-older Kano- had just left, then back at the note.

* * *

"Keep in mind though, he's going to come and blame ME if you tell him." Shinichirou groused over the phone, wishing that Nanami was there to make him lunch instead of the Cup 'O Noodles he was somehow managing to ruin.

"...Call that payment for the session, Shinichirou." Ayano cheerfully informed his grumpy otouto. Shinichirou made a noise which made the doctor wonder if he was sticking his tongue out at the reciever.

"Don't talk down to me- you're still carrying around that damn rabbit!"

"Of course, that gives you the higher moral ground."

* * *

"Yes, Matsuri-chan- I'm fine. I just had something that didn't agree with me for lunch and I've just got a headache from all the stress. I'll be fine."

Sunao knew he was lying- he'd had nothing to eat all day, and still managed to puke up some kind of bile and his only activity all day had been to lay in bed, wishing this headache would go away, and a single call from work, saying the water damage would take another day to repair- but really, he didn't care. Sunao wanted nothing more than to fall asleep, where he could escape the aches and pains of his stomach and head, as the painkillers had only been vomited up, completely whole.

"Nao-ku-u-un... I'm just worried about you-u..." Matsuri whined over the phone. Sunao flinched- whining had become a very effective persuasion tool for Matsuri and he knew it.

Be worried, quietly, then... Sunao wanted to snap, but wouldn't let himself actually say it- a grumpy tone would have made Matsuri even more worried and he would have come over THEN.

"I'll be fine- you don't need to worry. I've taken care of myself through worse than this..." Sunao reassured Matsuri, before hanging up.

Not ten minutes later, Sunao cringed as someone knocked on the door. After glaring at the door, waiting for them to go away, they knocked again, and he trudged to the door, swearing to himself that if it was either of the Matsuri-duo- or, God forbid, both- he WOULD throw something at them to make them go away, chivalry aside in Nakou's case.

Sunao was, thus, very surprised to see Soushi standing at his door, smiling pleasantly as though he hadn't been waiting at all, or as though he didn't realize that Sunao was still in his pajamas.

"Konnichi wa, Sunao-kun. Sashiburi da ne?" Soushi said, with that same polite smile. Sunao blinked for a moment, before mumbling.

"Soushi... oniichan?" Sunao finally managed, staring with shock at the lawyer. Sunao knew it must be even stranger for Soushi, as he was sure he'd changed a lot, while Soushi still looked the same, but he was still reminded of exactly how out of touch with his old family he'd been, "You're right... it has been too long..." Sunao finally managed a smile, before Soushi continued.

"I heard from Shinichirou where you were staying, so I simply had to come over and visit." Soushi explained, as though he'd read Sunao's mind, which had mostly been wondering what he was doing over here, unannounced.

"I'm sorry, but I can't really invite you in- the place is kind of... chaotic, right now..." Sunao said, hoping that Soushi could understand that. Soushi continued to smile.

"Well, if you'd like then, would you be agreeable to an invitation to my place for dinner tonight, to have some time to catch up?" He asked.

Sunao paused, very grateful that Soushi had added 'to catch up', otherwise, it would have sounded very much like being asked out on a date. Instead, Sunao smiled and nodded.

"...That... that would be nice..." He finally said. Sunao and Soushi said their goodbyes and Sunao proceeded to spend the rest of the afternoon in a panic to get ready- because hell if he was going to LOOK as sick as he felt when dinnertime came around.

* * *

Sora followed Kano home, as he had no clue where Ayano's hospital was- he'd never gotten there under his own steam, and, for all he knew, the place could have moved.

As soon as Sora was about to call it quits, Kano turned in to an apartment building, which made Sora sigh, following. As they reached the apartment, Sora immediately noticed Ayano greeting them, the ever present pink bunny perched atop his head.

"Kano-kun, okaeri!" He greeted them, patting his adopted son on the head before turning to Sora, "Sashiburi ne, Sora-kun?" Sora grinned a little as both he and the chibi took off their shoes. Kano went over to the couch to begin his homework, while Sora sat down at a table with Ayano to talk.

"Sorry to come over uninvited, Ayano-chan..." Sora started, while Ayano shook his head, pouring tea.

"No need- I asked you to come over." The doctor replied, before beginning to talk, "I told you that Shinichirou and Nanami were worried about you, so I guess the best thing to ask is if anything might have happened that you think might have made them worry?" Ayano asked, but Sora shrugged.

"Dunno... I really don't think so... Niichan's just been interfering too much since Fujimori came back... and it's been a year, so it's not like anything's really changed..." Sora mumbled, drinking out of his cup in a loud gulp. Ayano sighed a little.

"I thought that's what you'd say..." Ayano mumbled, before Sora suddenly noticed exactly how tired he really felt and fell face forward down onto the table.

* * *

"So, Sunao-kun, I haven't heard anything about how you're doing these days..." Soushi mentioned as Sunao finished serving himself, but before either of them ate anything, yet.

"...I've just been working a lot. Not much else..." Sunao said, before Soushi mentioned.

"Well, have you and Sora-kun been getting along well?" Sunao's head snapped around, before he remembered that Soushi didn't know that they'd only reunited a year ago.

"Um... well enough... I guess... It's difficult though... I'm going to be getting married to an arranged fiancé in the near future... so Hashiba and I aren't really on the best of terms..." Sunao lied, looking away. Soushi chuckled a bit, muttering something that sounded like,

"You haven't changed a bit."

"What did you say?" Sunao asked, managing not to sound like he was threatening, before Soushi lifted a teapot.

"Would you like some tea, Sunao-kun?"

"Yes, please."

* * *

"Shinichirou-san, I know it might be paranoid, but something is wrong with Nao-kun, and he wouldn't tell me about it, so it might be best to go and check up on him, just in case." Matsuri's voice said from the answering machine messages as Nanami checked them. Shinichirou was within hearing range, however, and had his coat on almost the same time as Nanami did his shoes, both of them leaving to be sure.

With the strange, seemingly repetitive nature of past events, this past year, both of them were very nervous.

Shinichirou was busy pounding on Nao's door, demanding to be let in, before Nanami noticed something- the mailbox of 'Hashiba Sora' was still full, as though Sora had never come home from work.

"Moshika shite..." Nanami pondered as Shinichirou stared at the two very lifeless apartment doors, side by side, "...Do you think... Soushi might have..."

Shinichirou's eyebrow twitched at the mention of the name, giving Nanami a glare.

"You certainly can predict where HIS tracks have been, can't you?" Shinichirou noted, in a tone that was was either bitter or accusing. Nanami heard both.

"Shinichirou..." He protested, before Shinichirou turned around, disgusted, and ran off down the hall to continue the search for their two lost boys, "Shinichirou!"

* * *

Yoru woke up in a white, square room, immediately getting out of bed and confirming that nothing had been happening while he was asleep. He was sleepy and hungry, yes, but not sick, weak, or any other signs of being tampered with. This was probably a good sign, except that he still didn't know where he was.

Or, more importantly, where Ran was.

He opened the door, walking down the hall as he looked for any sign of where he was geographically and carefully memorizing the steps he took, to be sure that nobody was following him.

Yoru punched the wall in frustration and fury.

Whoever had taken him captive... did they want Sora... or Yoru...

Or... were they using the two of them as bait? For Ran and Sunao?

* * *

Ran woke up in a fit of panic as soon as he realized he was in an unfamiliar room. After a moment of collecting himself enough to stand, he did so, only to brace himself as a wave of dizziness came up.

Ran kept walking though, leaving through the door and looking down a long hallway, both directions, before he saw a familiar back with blue hair on top of it in the lighting from the ceiling.

"...yoru..." He whispered, before trying to walk towards him, dizziness coming over him again, "...Yoru..."

The second time Ran said his name, Yoru turned around and immediately running over to catch his beloved before he hit the ground.

"RAN!" Yoru called in alarm, arms wrapping around the smaller frame that was leaning against him, but still breathing steadily.

"...Daijobu... Yoru..." Ran mumbled, face pressed against his lover's shoulder, before he looked up, "...Koko... doko? It seems so familiar..." Ran shivered, thinking of where he saw this place everyday in Sunao's and his own memories. Yoru's arms tightened around him, pulling him closer and easing his shudders.

"...Who knows? And why we're here, too..." Yoru mumbled, leaning them both against the wall, before he noticed a bandage wrapped around Ran's elbow, and reacting with a kind of suppressed anger, "Who did this?"

Ran stared blankly down at the bandage, unable to answer, as footsteps echoed somewhere down the hall. Yoru lifted Ran off the ground, into his arms.

"Kochi..." He mumbled, carrying Ran back to the room he'd left, opening and shutting the door behind them. Both sat on the bed clinging to the other, but watching the door, guardedly, so that when it opened and Ayano came in, they both weren't surprised.

Nor did he seem surprised to see them.

"Sorry to cause you trouble, but I had to make sure that both Sora-kun and Sunao-kun were alright." Ayano said, sitting down on the chair as both Yoru and Ran watched him, cautiously, but not suspiciously.

"Was there something that prompted this?" Yoru asked, immediately, in a business-like way. Ayano sighed.

"Shinichirou and Nanami asked me to check on them both... And, while it might have been difficult for you two, it was necessary. Sora-kun is fine, but Sunao-kun seems to have some chemicals in his system which could be dangerous." Upon catching Ran's glance, Ayano quickly explained, "That's why your arm is bandaged- I had to take a blood sample so the exact chemicals can be identified, and then Sunao-kun can be treated for it."

Yoru gave Ran a serious look as he glanced away, almost guiltily.

"In any case, that's all that I have to tell you- Yoru, you're free to stay with Ran until the test results come back." Ayano stood to leave the room, as Yoru and Ran ignored him, the former still staring at his lover, who was still looking away.

* * *

"It might be ironic that Sunao was the one who we needed to be worried about more..." Shinichirou mused, frowning at what Ayano told him. The doctor raised a worried eyebrow at his younger brother, whom was staring at the ground.

"Maybe... but it's more important that something is happening more than what we know." Ayano reminded him. Shinichirou grimaced, and continued walking away.

* * *

"Ran... maybe it would be best to stay here for the night..." Yoru muttered, bringing the more feminine of the two of them closer as he continued to shake. Ran hiccuped a little, as Yoru soothed him by stroking his back.

"...I hate this feeling, Yoru... and how I always feel what Nao's feeling, how I'm always the one who has to take it when he wakes up and dreads going to work that day, how I'm always the one who has to deal with it when he leaves work too tired to do anything but go home and sleep, how I'm always..." Ran kept mumbling, as Yoru held him and listened to him let it all out.

"...Ran... do you think it had anything to do with that which made Sunao like this?" Yoru finally asked, with a frown. Ran looked up, with a note of shock, but hung his head, unable to answer.

"...I don't know, Yoru... I really don't know..."

In just a moment, however, neither remembered their conversation.

Sora and Sunao were back, both barely conscious as they curled up under the hospital blankets and drifted to sleep.

* * *

"...Shinichirou... watashi..." Nanami stopped as Shinichirou walked right past him into their apartment. He'd been waiting outside, anxious for how Shinichirou would act when he returned, and this appeared to be the worst of his fears confirmed.

Shinichirou was sitting on the couch with his head in his hands as Nanami approached, quietly.

"...Shinichirou... I knew you were worried about Hashiba-kun... so, after you spoke with Ryouya... I asked him to make sure Fujimori-kun was also alright..." Nanami said, cautiously, as though fearing that Shinichirou would react violently if Nanami said the wrong thing, "Demo... demo... I didn't think that..."

"Mou, ii yo..." Shinichirou interrupted, looking up. Nanami was taken aback to see a small smile on his face, before Shinichirou patted the seat next to him, and Nanami sat, letting Shinichirou hold him.

"Mou ii de ba..." Shinichirou mumbled again, rubbing Nanami's back and pressing a kiss into his hair.

A/N: Whoo... I finally finished this chapter... um... the next few chapters, while I know how I want them to go, might not be up for a while, because my dad is a bitch and wants either 40 hours per week for him, or for me to get a job. AKA- I won't be on the computer for awhile.

Translations:

Kuso- I've heard many different translations for this, such as 'Damn' and 'Shit', but, in general, it's a curseword.

Tousan- ...oh, please...

Otouto- see above

Okaeri- Welcome home!

Moshika shite- Spelling issues. It's kind of like 'Masaka' except... more polite? Basically means 'It can't be' or, in this scenario 'You don't think...'

Koko doko?- Where is this place?

Kochi- Come This way


	10. Chapter 10

10 years

By Sapadu

A/N: I'm sorry the chapters are getting shorter, but... I don't have as much time, nor do I trust myself to make them too long. But, still, thanks for holding on, those of you who are sticking with me through this.

I don't got it, I swear! You've got the wrong girl, officer!

* * *

Sunao awoke to hear his phone ringing. With a groan, dreading who it might be, he answered.

"Ohayo." The polite voice on the other end said, and immediately, Fujimori Sunao could have sworn he'd heard some sort of God laughing at him, "Is your investigation going well?"

Sunao grit his teeth and answered as best he could.

"I have been investigating to the best of my ability, but it has yielded no results." He replied. The voice on the other end chuckled.

"I thought not. In any case, I'll be coming by sometime in the next week to be sure your residence is suitable. Be sure to let the landlord know I'm coming in advance, this time."

Then they both hung up. Sunao stayed where he was for a moment, staring miserably into space before he stood up, still not quite ready to face the day.

* * *

"Matsuri-chan, you never mentioned that you work at an animal shelter..." Nakou said as they both spotted the office within sight. Matsuri laughed and rubbed the back of his head, embarrassedly.

"...Well, I guess it never occurred to me that anyone would be interested." He offered, as Nakou joined his chuckles before excusing herself to leave for her own office.

"I'll tell Nao-kun you send your regards!" She called, turning the corner. Matsuri sighed and readied himself for another day. As lunch came around, Matsuri had to give himself a minute to pump up for the lecture he was going to give Sora- an identical one which Nakou was going to give to Sunao at about the same time.

His energy was sapped as soon as he heard Sora's story about how he'd left his apartment that morning to find the name on his mailbox had been removed.

"...Wait, you think someone did this on purpose?" Matsuri asked, more shocked that someone would do it than that Sora was thinking along those lines.

"I just want to know WHY- I can't figure out who would bother to slide out a card that reads 'Hashiba Sora' from behind a nameplate cover, or what their purpose would be..." Sora explained, before Nakou came over.

"Nakou-chan, I thought you were going to be eating with Nao-kun..." Matsuri said, with surprise. Nakou sighed as she sat down, pouting.

"Apparently, he can't take his lunch break today because of something he's working on- but he'll be off tonight, so I fully plan on giving him a talk-to over dinner!" She said, folding her arms.

Matsuri sighed.

"Strange things have been happening for all of us, huh?" He mumbled, and when Nakou asked what he meant, Matsuri explained what Sora had just told him.

Nakou just frowned.

* * *

"Perhaps a janitor needed to clean the nameplates and it accidentally got wet while he was cleaning." Nanami suggested after dinner. Sora had told both his surrogate parents the situation, and exactly why it was bothering him, so was expecting the calming, logical, and somewhat plausible explanation Nanami could give, and the calculating look that Shinichirou was giving him.

After a moment, though, he said something which Sora hadn't expected, just as Sora was walking out the door.

"Sora... is it possible that Sunao had something to do with it?" Sora froze in the doorway, but waved over his shoulder and left.

"Muri na..." Sora left, though wondering if maybe, just maybe, Fujimori HAD had something to do with it...

As soon as the door closed behind him, a fight started.

"You still suspect Fujimori-kun of something..." Nanami muttered, with a frown, and his voice implying a kind of 'how-dare-you' tone. Shinichirou glared back, before replying.

"You said it yourself- It's as though everything is repeating, all over again. If that's really what's happening, we can't trust Sunao." He said, firmly. Nanami's frown deepened.

"Fujimori-kun hasn't done anything to earn our distrust- for all we know, everything that's been happening could just be pure coincidence." Nanami protested, "Ryouya-san and I used to work for Aizawa, too, or do you suspect me, as well?"

Shinichirou spun and grabbed Nanami by his upper arms, pushing him against the wall.

"Don't you ever say that- You KNOW that has nothing to do with it, and you also know damn well that I don't blame anyone for anything that Aizawa did. But he's DEAD, and things are still happening that we don't understand." Shinichirou was shouting at this point, Nanami flinching away at every word.

"So, Fujimori-kun is your scapegoat? Because you don't understand anything that's been happening?" Nanami demanded, cringing as Shinichirou's grip on his arm tightened.

"That's not it- it's because he was the one who drove the events last time, and this time, events are also being propelled forward by his presence. It's the only logical connection I can make, or is there something you're not telling me?" Shinichirou squeezed Nanami's arm tighter, an unspoken 'Like you did last time' hanging in the air, before Nanami made a noise of pain.

"Shinichirou, yamete!" Nanami pushed Shinichirou away, just enough that Shinichirou released his arms and they both stared at each other for a moment, before Nanami ducked around his lover, picked up his shoes, and ran out.

Shinichirou stood alone, staring at the wall.

* * *

"I'm sorry for always putting you off, Nakou-chan- things are just going to be busy because we lost a lot of days to repair from the monsoon." Sunao apologized over a nice restaurant dinner- in his case, a traditional bowl of oden, while Nakou used her chopsticks to wave it away. 

"Daijobu, daijoubu... It's not your fault that whoever schedules your hours is inconsiderate." She replied with a wink. Sunao laughed with relief, before Nakou finally started talking again.

"...Nao-kun... I was just thinking..." Nakou said, and Sunao resisted the urge to make the obligatory crack about how it could never be a good sign, "I saw that you carried around pictures in your wallet, like any other respectable gentleman..."

Sunao sighed.

"Don't worry, Nakou-chan- your lovely face is among those pictures..." He said, with a bit of a joking smile, as he had a feeling she was going to start lecturing him about why he didn't have Hashiba's picture as one of those.

Nakou tilted her head to the side, then giggled, in a faux embarrassed voice.

"Lovely? Nao-kun... don't flatter me." She teased, before reverting back to being serious, as only she (or Matsuri or, perhaps even, Shinichirou) could manage, "What I was wondering about was why none of them are of any of your friends."

Sunao blinked, taken aback.

"Obviously, I knew you weren't about to carry a picture of Sora around, since you're acting like he's just a nuisance, but you don't even have a picture of Matsuri-chan, or Nanami-san or Shinichirou-san in there. Not even one of the three of you on your graduation day." Nakou elaborated, "Really, the only picture you have in there is of me, and I KNOW that's just for a respectable appearance."

Sunao stared at his fiancé for a moment, Nakou holding his gaze with a small smile, before he looked down.

"S-Sore wa..." He mumbled, not finishing his sentence as he tried to find a good reason, coming up with none.

His phone started to vibrate, where it was placed next to his plate at the table. Both he and Nakou looked at it.

"It's probably something important from work- It's okay." Nakou said, looking out the window as Sunao picked it up. Indeed, the caller ID read 'Caller Unknown' as it always did when it was someone calling from the offices.

Sunao stared at it for a moment, as Nakou raised an eyebrow, watching him.

"Nao-kun, aren't you going to answer it?" She asked, somehow managing to be neither bossy, nor intrusive.

Sunao didn't say a word as he hit the button which silenced the buzzing and turned his phone off completely.

* * *

It was late in the day when Hashiba Sei received a phone call in the office. Someone on the other end was a voice he didn't recognize with a simple request.

"Moshi moshi, Jack of All Trades Inc, how may I help you?" He asked, voice wearing from the long day.

"I simply had a question- Does the corporation have a message delivery section?" The other person asked. Sei raised an eyebrow, but answered the question.

"Yes, sir- we offer message deliveries as one of our services..." Sei replied, politely, and then added, as Kitamura mouthed to him, "At a fraction of the cost of private messengers, or delivery boys."

"Arigatou gozimasu. In that case, I would like a message delivered, to this address..." The person listed the address, and Sei recognized it as the address next to Sora-niichan's apartment... which meant it was intended for Sunao-niichan...

"Please tell him that a supervisor at work, whom has been having considerable difficulty contacting him, would like to speak with him in person at nine o'clock at the building he works in. And, above all else, please deliver this message in person, to be sure he receives it." The person asked. Sei frowned, but, a job was a job... and if this person really hadn't been able to contact Sunao-niichan, that would explain why he was asking this of a service.

"Hai- I will do that."

As he reached the apartment to deliver the message, Sei finally saw Sunao-niichan coming up the hallway. After a moment of blinking, Sei walked over and delivered the message.

He was surprised to see Sunao-niichan grimace.

"I'm sure it's nothing serious- the person who asked me to deliver the message said he was just having trouble getting a hold of you so..." Sei said, in his best reassuring voice.

Sunao-niichan gave him a long look before smiling a little.

"It's nothing like that- I just worry about being out so late is all." And Sunao-niichan went into his own apartment.

Sei stared after him, with a distinct feeling that Sunao-niichan had just lied to him.

* * *

It was precisely because he was worried that Sei followed Sunao to where he was supposed to meet with his supervisor. He even took careful steps to be sure he stayed hidden the whole time, hiding behind a bush as Sunao stopped. Sei listened carefully and heard the same voice over as from over the phone speaking with him.

"I don't appreciate being hung up on. There are important matters to discuss these days." The other person was saying. Sunao replied in a similar tone of voice.

"I was having dinner with my fiancé- you shouldn't have interrupted." Sei tried to peer through the bushes to see the other person, but couldn't get a clear image.

"Perhaps you would care to explain what you were doing at dinner with your fiancé when your search these past ten years has still failed to yield results." The other man seemed to be asking, but Sei knew better- it was no question. Sunao's voice grew aggravated.

"It's not my fault that I haven't seen Hashiba for ten years- I've been looking as best I could." He replied, as the other person snickered.

"I heard that you and Hashiba Sora were involved after the last incident- are you hiding something out of some old affection for him?" He asked, and Sunao snarled.

"I only tolerated Hashiba as an acquaintance- don't confuse that with actual affection." He snapped, before calming enough to speak a little more clearly, "In any case, Hashiba gave up Yoru- even if I did find him, he would be useless as a specimen."

Sei felt a shiver run up his spine at the sound of that word. As a child, he would have mistaken that to mean something floating in a tank like in some sci-fi movie, but now, it seemed even more frightening to think that Sora would be experimented on by anybody...

And why Sunao was lying...?

"I need to go- the landlady locks the doors soon." And Sunao left.

The minute that Sunao was out of sight, Sei looked back for the second person, but again saw no one, and then took off at a run.

He didn't look back as he heard footsteps coming after him at a much quicker pace.

* * *

Ren Shiina moodily snatched up the phone as it rang- it had almost been time to close the office, and, of course, the phone would ring just then. Still he made his voice business appropriate.

"Moshi moshi, Jack of..." He paused as the person on the other end panted heavily, swearing to hang up if it was a crank call.

"Shiina... Sora-niichan..." Shiina's eyes went wide as he heard Sei's voice, which was sounding as though he was running from something... or someone.

"Sei? Sei, nani...?" Shiina demanded, standing up in a panic.

"Warn Sora-niichan... warn him that he's in danger..." Sei managed, before there was a noise on the other end of the line- Sei had probably called from a phone booth, and it sounded like something had made him drop the phone and let it bang against the wall.

"WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO SORA-SENPAI?" Shiina called, but received no answer, "SEI? SEI!"

There was a click, and then the line started to beep.

* * *

Sunao sighed as he reached the lobby of the apartment complex- the landlady had already locked it, so now he'd have to wait for someone to come and open it from within to let him in.

"Nao-kun, you're late." Sunao snapped around to see Matsuri standing right behind him, as though he'd been waiting for some time.

"Matsuri-chan..." He stammered.

Matsuri blinked for a moment, before he smiled.

"We were waiting for you." He said. Sunao raised an eyebrow.

"Dare ka 'Boku-tachi'?"

* * *

"Why did you keep me up this late?" Sora groused, until he saw Sunao right behind Matsuri as he let the two of them into the complex. Both the former roommates were glaring at Matsuri, whom was grinning as though it had no effect on him.

After a moment, however, his smile faltered a little, and Matsuri- much to the surprise of the other two- actually bowed and clapped his hands together.

"Jistu wa... boku..." He began, in an embarrassed tone, "I lost something... and I need you two to help me find it..." Matsuri pleaded. Sora and Sunao stared at him, first amazed that he'd actually come to them asking for help- let alone in THIS kind of manner- then suspicious.

"Gomen, Matsuri-chan, ore... I can't do this, even to help you out." Sunao said, somehow apologizing and sounding irritated at the same time.

"Sou da- Fujimori has to be up at five so he can get to work." Sora added. Sunao shot Sora a little glare, as though he could sense the ulterior motive behind Sora's defense of him (i.e: That Sora wouldn't have to go out, either.)

"Daijobu- Nakou-chan said she'd schedule an interview for the two of you tomorrow at a reasonable hour of the morning, so that will give you the day off, Nao-kun." Matsuri's way-too-cheerful smile was back.

Both Sora and Sunao sighed.

"I can stay here to open the doors for you two if that's what you're worried about. And since this isn't where I live, I won't doze off or leave and stand you two up." Matsuri added, as though reading their minds to any further doubts.

'Yappari.' They both thought.

"The first place I'd check would be the coffee shop- I go there the most, after all..." Matsuri continued, ignoring the looks on his friends faces, before Sora interrupted.

"Oi, matte ou- why are WE going on this?" He demanded. Matsuri made an innocent face.

"...Well, if you'd rather I call Shinichirou-san or a retrieval service and have my money go to THEM and not YOU for this..." The blond said, innocently. Sora's attitude changed.

"Which coffee shop?"

* * *

"Suddenly, I have the feeling we're being had." Sora muttered as he and Sunao reached the address Matsuri had given them, only to spot a little Matsuri-looking plushie hanging from the sign over the door. Sora had to give Sunao a boost and let the other man- who, technically, weighed the least out of the two of them- sit on his shoulder as he retrieved the plushie.

"There's a note and something that looks like a piece of a photo..." Sunao mused, suddenly grabbing onto Sora's head as he wobbled.

"Fujimori, would you get down if you're finished!?" Sora shouted. Quickly, they read the note and set off for the next location- the fountain at the park.

In the end, Sora waded through the fountain towards the little doll hanging on the centerpiece, only to get drenched and nearly pushed under as the spigots motion activated.

Sunao read the note as Sora coughed and tried to get dry.

"It says 'Check the jungle gym at the elementary school'..." Sunao read, nonplussed. Sora snatched the note out of Sunao's hand and tore it up with frustration. Sunao, for once, didn't blame him, as he knew how far away the elementary school was.

At the school:

"Ha-SHI-ba! Let it go already!" Sunao called from his position halfway up the gym as Sora dangled from the topmost bar- who the hell built jungle gyms like THIS for LITTLE KIDS, anyway?- inching towards the doll that was hanging from a cross piece that kept the whole thing supported.

"Dame! I've almost got it and hell if I'm giving up now!" Sora shouted back, almost as though saying 'Don't tell me what to do.'

Sora finally got close enough to snatch the doll.

And lost his grip, falling.

"Hashiba!" Sunao's hand shot out, catching hold of Sora's. Then, both of them were promptly dragged down to the ground, hitting it face first.

"...Oops..." Sunao mumbled into the dirt, before they both sat up. Sora just growled and irritably put together the pieces of the picture that had been left with the dolls to see exactly what was so important for them to go through all this.

And immediately went red.

Sunao leaned over his shoulder and also proceeded to blush.

The assembled photograph was one of them, still in high school, sitting together outside one of the trees at the school. Sora's arm was around Sunao's shoulders and they were both waving and smiling for the camera, though their smiles seemed as though they'd simply been humoring the photographer- probably Matsuri.

Sora read the final note.

"I hope when you two come back, you will bring back with you my two best friends who I miss so much." He read, voice going from loud to soft as he seemed to realize how serious it was.

* * *

"I guess that no matter what we do, Matsuri will always be worried about us, won't he?" Sora mumbled, bashfully as they treaded back to their apartment. Sunao laughed a little at that.

"'Kedo... It was also kind of our fault... we should have known from the start that Matsuri-tachi were all worried about us... We're not the only ones affected by whenever we have problems..." Sora muttered, seriously. Sunao glanced away, guiltily.

"Ore mou..." He mumbled, drawing Sora's gaze, "Nakou-chan told me... the same thing after they pulled that Kaitou prank on us... we really have been... selfish..." Sunao was staring at the ground, and Sora just looked at him with a very blank expression for a moment.

"Fujimori..."

Sunao looked up and met Sora's gaze, which they both quickly broke.

"Ja... if we come back holding hands, that should make Matsuri stop worrying for the night... at least he'll go home, na?" He finally said, with a kind of false cheer as he extended a hand.

* * *

As soon as Matsuri had left, both Sora and Sunao climbed the stairs to their floor, stopping outside their apartments, both right next to each other.

The two looked at each other for a moment, before Sora looked away, blushing.

"...Fujimori... do you... um... do you want to come in... like... just to talk...?" Sora offered.

Sunao also looked away, face very red, before he replied.

"...Ii yo... it has been awhile... anyway..." He said.

A/N: O-kaaaaaay... Now, hopefully, you all know that SOMETHING is going to happen in the next chapter...

Please, please please PLE-ASE know that something's going to happen in the next chapter...

Those who are wondering what the HELL Nanami was talking about, in virtually all plotlines, Nanami originally was involved with Aizawa, in one way or more than one, and that's what causes the whole plot line, but in the games, Ayano also worked for Aizawa.

Translations:

Muri na- Impossible.

Dare ka 'Boku-tachi'?- Asking the question "Who's we?" Nao-kun normally uses 'Ore', so if he were speaking it would be 'Ore-tachi'. However, since he's quoting Matsuri, whom uses the more polite form, 'Boku', he uses the similar pattern.


	11. Chapter 11

10 years

By Sapadu

A/N: I thank you all for your support and comments- though, for those of you who are all 'This is so sad' and 'I'm gonna cry now'... These next two chapters aren't going to be your cup of tea, then...

Don't shoot me- I'm only the fanfiction writer!

* * *

"You're still sleeping with that thing, Hashiba?" Sunao asked, giving Toushizou a curious look, "How can you possibly sleep with it poking you in the face or something?"

Sora shrugged, moving Toushizou so that Sunao could sit down.

"Maybe the same way you manage to sleep without something in your arms?" He guessed. Sunao sighed and sat down, keeping a distance away from Sora, "Sorry I don't have more comfortable chairs... Did you want some tea or something?" Sora finally asked. Sunao shrugged.

"It's okay." He said. The two sat in silence for a moment, before Sunao suddenly started.

"...Hashiba... what have you been doing all these years? Like... with a job... or anything...?" He asked. Sora sighed a little and propped his chin up on his hand, contemplatively.

"I took over Nii-chan's position as a math teacher at our old high school- except it's not just a boys-only school, anymore..." Sora muttered, before turning the question back, "I know what your job is... what else have you been doing?"

Sunao shrugged.

"Work... mostly... Nakou-chan and I were only engaged really recently... I guess I just wanted to get ahead early on so I didn't end up in trouble later..." He replied, noncommittally. Sora raised an eyebrow.

"So... wait... these last ten years... all you've been doing is working?" He asked, incredulously, "You haven't been seeing anyone or... anything at all?" Sunao shot Sora an irritably tired look.

"I don't need relationships or adventures to make my life exciting- it was chaotic enough learning how to live by myself, pay bills, and other adult things like that on my own." The other responded, almost impatiently. Sora looked away again.

"Gomen... I guess it's just hard for me to understand..." Sora mumbled- he had meant to say 'believe', but changed his mind before he said it. Sunao shrugged again.

"It's okay... what about you, Hashiba? You mentioned that you were with Hiromu for a while..." Sunao asked, looking away, almost wondering if he wanted to hear or not.

"...Um..." Sora was also going red, and Sunao suddenly wanted to take back his question as he realized he didn't want to hear this.

"...Don't laugh!" Sora suddenly said, which almost made Sunao smirk in and of itself, "...For one thing... if Minato came out a few times and hit on me, that doesn't count and it's not my fault." Sora finally said. Suano rolled his eyes, having a clear idea of what that meant, before Sora finally answered his question.

"...Well, after high school, it was mostly me and Matsuri... For, like, three years, there was that guy Chris..." Sunao's eyes narrowed, though Sora couldn't tell if it was with displeasure or trying to remember who he was talking about, "...You know, from the church..."

Sunao's eyes remained narrowed, which made Sora stop from going into details. (Including, but not limited to, that one incident when they'd managed to have sex on the altar in the church- a feat Sora was still puzzled at HOW they'd accomplished it.)

"...Soushi asked me out for dinner once, but it didn't really go too far... You heard about Hiromu... and we had also been staying in contact as friends since graduation... Did you know he's a model? It took me forever to figure it out." Sora's voice was strained, like he was trying to be cheerful, but Sunao didn't take notice of it.

"I kind of figured, Hashiba- Hiromu would be good for something like that." Sunao said, before asking, "...You and Matsuri-chan were alone for a few years?"

Sora took it the wrong way and went red.

"...Well... it was only once..." Sunao's eyes snapped in his direction, "He'd just gotten his veterinary license, I was still depressed that you'd disappeared, and we went out drinking..." Sunao covered his ears, making a noise.

"... Omae to Matsuri-chan... ew... Hashiba... tell me that's a joke..." Sunao muttered, as Sora went very red. After a moment, though, they both started to snicker, almost as though nothing had happened, "Only you, Hashiba... if your supposed 'Most precious possession' was a pink elephant, I should have known you'd like alcohol a lot..."

Sora kept chuckling as Sunao spoke.

"I remember when I got Toushizou, then I heard Niichan talking about 'The Pink Elephants'... I made a private promise that when I was old enough, I'd drink so much that Toushizou had grandparents and aunts and uncles, because I thought he would have friends then." Sora shared, smiling a little.

Sunao smiled a little at that, too, as though thinking about something, but an uncomfortable silence settled in again, before Sora finally spoke again.

"...Fujimori... can I ask you something... about when we were kids?" He mumbled. Sunao looked up at Sora, an eyebrow quirked.

"...Why not?" Sunao replied, sitting up a little straighter. Sora tugged on one of Toushizou's ears, much like a little child nervously asking something of their parent.

"...It just occurred to me... when we met up again last time, how much we fought, and how, when I ran into you again last year, the first thing we did was argue... when we were little... did we fight a lot like that or..." Sora mumbled. Sunao blinked, with earnest surprise.

"Hashiba..." He whispered. Sora looked away.

"...Gomen... I know it might not be something you want to talk about... but... even if I know all the events that happened... it makes me feel bad that I still don't remember what I was always smiling for. Even after being told stories by Matsuri, Nii-chan, and Nanami-chan... even after looking at old photographs, or reading old diary entries... I still feel like I don't know who I was back then... or who you were or who Matsuri was... it's like we're completely different people now..."

Sunao's eyelids lowered and he stared down, his knees coming to curl up next to his chest.

"... Ii yo, Hashiba... But, about how we acted..." Sunao mumbled, "Well, little kids always fight sometimes... but... we didn't fight as much as others did, and it wouldn't be over stupid things, but over something like 'Should we sneak out- no, we shouldn't, we'll get in trouble- but we promised Matsuri we would'..." Sunao kept staring at his knees as Sora gave him a sidewards glance, "Demo... we always made up afterwards... we couldn't afford to fight like other kids did... because we depended on each other... more than anything..."

Sora grimaced and then looked back down.

"...Gomen, Fujimori..." He whispered. Sunao's eyes shifted towards him, but his head didn't move.

"Nani ka, Hashiba?" The other asked, as Sora put Toushizou aside and leaned over, pulling his old friend into a hug- one which made Sunao's eyes go wide with shock.

"...I'm just sorry that... you had to lose the person who you depended on..." Sora mumbled, and Sunao had a feeling that Sora wasn't just saying that for himself, but actually, truly meant it. His voice shook as he responded.

"...We're adults now, Hashiba... we would have had to stop, anyway... so you don't need to be sorry..." His words sounded hollow, even to him.

"'Kedo... maybe if it had been like normal kids... if we'd just grown apart slowly, instead of all at once... It wasn't fair to you, at least..." Sora muttered, his mouth pressed into Sunao's shoulder and voice muffled. Sunao didn't reply to this, but his arms came up and wound around Sora's back.

"...It's okay, Hashiba..."

They stayed that way for who knows how long, before Sora whispered something which Sunao had honestly not expected to hear.

"I missed you." Sunao's eyes widened and he blinked for a few minutes, completely taken off guard by this.

"...Ha... Hashiba..." Sunao stammered, but Sora stopped him.

"...Not just... because I was upset about the break-up... but... I just missed having Fujimori around... to talk to... to listen to... to sometimes tease because most of his clothes were pink, and to have around to punch me when I was being stupid..." Sora mumbled, grip tightening around Sunao's shoulders and waist, "...As soon as we moved out of the dorms, I kept waking up every morning, wondering where you were before I remembered we weren't roommates anymore... and when I went to sleep, I would end up staring at the ceiling, because the room felt too big without someone else, even if they were in a different bed..."

Sunao was quiet for a long moment, resting his forehead against Sora's shoulder and just breathing in that same old smell.

"...I missed you, too... Hashiba..." Sora's clinging subsided, just a little, and he pulled back to stare at his former lover's face for a while. For some reason, the words 'I missed you' seemed to have gone deeper than 'I love you' or anything either of them could have said, but either way, Sora couldn't stop staring at Sunao's face, right to the point where Sunao looked back up at him, with a similar expression.

Sora wasn't entirely sure of this, either, but he felt... perversely happy... that Sunao had missed him as well. Maybe he was more pleased that Sunao was ADMITTING it, or maybe that it implied something similar to how he felt but... Sora also couldn't help but feel bad for being happy about it...

Sunao's eyelids lowered, just a little bit, but it seemed to signal something and Sora leaned forward. Sunao's head tipped a little to the side and he felt Sora's lips brush over his cheek. Sunao felt his face flush, before he suddenly froze.

"Hashiba, yamero." It was a command, and a firm one at that. Sora froze, then pulled back. Sunao released his grip and pulled away, eyes averted. Sora glanced away, too, in the same direction, as though they both found something on Sora's floor incredibly fascinating.

"...Gomen, Fujimori..."

"...Iya... Gomen nasai, Hashiba... but we can't..." Sunao mumbled, guiltily shrinking back. Sora wore an equally guilty expression.

"Because of Nakou... right?" He finished. Sunao made a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat. They both knew that Nakou wouldn't care- she'd probably celebrate if they kissed or something like that- but they also knew that, either way, she was Sunao's fiancé, and kissing or sleeping with someone else was still infidelity.

After a moment, Sora carefully put his arms back around Sunao's shoulders, in a way that could be considered as a friend or a brother as much as a lover.

"Fujimori... is just this okay?" Sora whispered, and Sunao's gaze softened a little, his arms coming back up and curling around his old friend.

"...Aah..." He whispered, breathing deeply and letting his eyes close.

"...Fujimori... if you want to just spend the night- just staying here, I mean... but not... doing anything... I could wake you up when you needed to leave or when Nakou called you..." Sora murmured next to Sunao's ear. Sunao didn't answer for a few moments, each dragging out so long that Sora wondered if Sunao had fallen asleep on his shoulder, before Sunao mumbled a reply.

"Zutto..." He whispered, and when Sora pulled away to give him a questioning gaze, Sunao continued, "Everyday... Hashiba... I would wish that you were still there... and every time Ran came to see you at night, I was always watching... and wishing that it was me, instead of Ran... sleeping next to Hashiba..."

Sora blinked, gaze soft.

"Fujimori..." Sora put a hand on the side of Sunao's face, tilting it down and stretching his neck to press a kiss against Sunao's hair. Before he could though, Sunao lifted a hand, brushed Sora's away and tilted his face up, softly meeting Sora's lips with his own.

Sora didn't react in a surprised way, but just went along with it. After a moment, one of the hands around Sunao's shoulders slid down, lifting the bottom of Sunao's shirt up, before pulling it off completely.

The two laid back down, Sunao's arms locked tightly around Sora, as though the world would cease to exist if he let go.

* * *

Kitamura found Sei before Shiina did- he was bruised, bloody, and practically unrecognizable, but it was Sei, alright, crumpled inside a phone booth, a pool of blood gathering around him, while streaks of it were smeared on his skin, clothes and down the glass walls of the booth. Almost immediately, he called Shiina, who arrived with an ambulance as soon as he could.

Kitamura opted to go ahead and find Sora-senpai, as well as Shinichirou-sensei and Nanami-sensei, while Shiina rode with Sei in the ambulance. Kitamura reached Shinichirou-sensei's apartment first, and waited, impatiently, for him to open the door.

"Sorry for disturbing you so late." Kitamura panted, but Shinichirou-sensei didn't reply, "Shiina and I need you to come to the hospital- Sei was beaten up by someone and he said something was an emergency about Sora-senpai..."

Shinichirou-sensei visably started, but went with him, quickly.

Then, many hours later, they still could not contact Sora-senpai, and Nanami-sensei was nowhere to be found.

* * *

"At last, no more mortgage payments- we officially OWN this place!" Ichikawa Gaku cheered, throwing a pillow at his roommate cum husband. Nagase Kai caught it without looking up from his work.

"It's just a condominium, Gaku." He reminded the overly enthusiastic other, who was still grinning madly.

"Nagase-bucho-ou-u! We should still go out and celebrate for this!" Gaku struck a pose, "Like... _Vive la France_... or something..."

"You just said 'Long live France'- that has nothing to do with dinner." Nagase reminded him, wondering- however fondly- how his lover could have such an IQ level that they were both founders of their own research institute over here, and yet, he could still be so DUMB!

"Bu-cho-ou!" Gaku whined, before Nagase handed him the phone.

"We're settled in now- you could give Hashiba Sora a call if you wanted to, now..."

"Oh, yeah- Sora-senpai's probably been wondering where we went..." Gaku brightened, taking the phone and preparing to dial long distance.

* * *

"Hashiba... your phone's ringing..." Sunao mumbled, burrowing a little under the blanket a little more, before he realized he was alone in the bed. For one thing, the spot next to him was empty, and for another, it was cold. Sunao sat up, skin goose bumping as it was exposed to the cold air, and looked around the apartment, groggily.

"Hashiba...?" He called, quietly, still half-asleep, "Kuu-chan?"

There was no answer. Sunao was alone.

After a moment, he got out of bed, dragging the sheet with him around his waist, and walked over to the phone, wincing as stiff muscles stretched.

"Moshi moshi..." Sunao mumbled as he answered Sora's phone. There was a pause, before Sunao heard Matsuri's voice.

"...Nao-kun? Did I get the wrong number?" He asked. Sunao blinked, then felt his face go red.

"...No, this is Hashiba's phone... but Hashiba's not here, if that's what you mean..." Sunao mumbled, again, and he heard Matsuri make an 'Oh' noise. Three times, the first in comprehension, the second in delight, and the third in disappointment.

"...So... Nao-kun... you spent the night?" Matsuri finally said, and Sunao could see him grinning madly.

He rolled his eyes.

"...Hai, Matsuri-chan..." Sunao answered, and he heard Matsuri cackle, "It's not funny- Hashiba's gone and I don't know where he went. He didn't even leave a note." Sunao snapped, as he started to wake up and his senses were suddenly alert as to what this meant.

Matsuri paused.

"...Gone...?" Matsuri asked, as though clarifying it. In all fairness, Matsuri probably thought that before, Sunao had meant Sora was in the shower or something like that.

"Hai... and he didn't take his phone with him, so we can't even call him..." Sunao added, though that should have been obvious, as he was talking on it right now.

"Mmm... Nao-kun, stay where you are- I'll go out and find him..." Matsuri finally said, as he hung up.

Sunao stared at the phone for a while, looked around the empty apartment, then started to get dressed in his clothes from yesterday.

He paused.

Sora's clothes were still crumpled right next to his at the foot of the bed...

* * *

"I'll get Nao-kun, you go out and look for Sora." Nakou was putting on her own shoes as Matsuri hung up the phone. The look on Matsuri's face was serious as he looked down at the floor.

"...Demo... why would Sora walk out on Nao-kun like that?" He said, frowning. Nakou paused, then handed Matsuri his shoes.

"Nao-kun is probably wondering the same thing. That's why I'm going to go check on him." She said. Matsuri sighed, slipped on his loafers, and both of them took off.

Nakou made it to the apartment Sunao and Sora lived in, but paused to see Sunao out in the hall, staring off into the distance with his hands on the railing.

"Nao-kun..." She whispered. Sunao slowly turned to stare at her, but his eyes were unfocused, like he didn't even see her.

After a very long second, Sunao's knees gave way and he fainted forward. Nakou ran over and caught him, arms shaking as Sunao's body, much heavier than hers, nearly dragged her down.

"Nao-kun! NAO-KUN!" Nakou called, but Sunao had fainted clear away.

* * *

"Nanami-sensei is missing, so I couldn't even get in contact with him." Nakou mused, as she and Matsuri watched over Sunao. Matsuri had quickly abandoned the search for Sora when he heard that Sunao had literally fainted right on top of Nakou, and helped her bring his old friend back to his apartment.

"Things are becoming difficult for all of us..." Matsuri mumbled, brow furrowed as Sunao stirred a little, pink eyes fluttering open a little.

"...Matsuri-chan... Nakou-chan..." He mumbled in a daze. Nakou smiled, though somewhat falsely.

"Good morning, sleepyhead." She said, cheerfully. Sunao blinked, before he sat up, eyes glazed over.

"...Hashiba..." He finally said, staring at his hands, folded in his lap.

Matsuri grimaced a little.

"Sora's still missing. Don't worry, though, Nao-kun- I'll find him." Matsuri said, but smiled somewhat reassuringly.

Sunao's face fell. Matsuri left the room so the engaged could talk while he made tea.

As soon as the door closed, Nakou grinned a little.

"Nao-kun, you're worried about Sora, aren't you?" She asked. Sunao's face twisted, like he was trying to stop himself from crying, but was trying to scowl at the same time.

It was a very guilty expression.

"Nakou-chan... ore... last night... with Hashiba..." Sunao hung his head and Nakou smiled a little.

"I think I can guess what happened." She said, gently, and Sunao looked even guiltier, before Nakou patted him on the back.

"Gomen nasai... Nakou-chan..." He mumbled, eyes clenching shut.

"Nao-kun, over the past year, Matsuri-chan and I have been trying to get you two back together. You don't need to apologize..." But Sunao interrupted.

"...I meant... I'm sorry for causing you trouble, Nakou-chan..." He said, softly, "You were right... from the beginning, you were always right... I am in love with Hashiba... and I was always too much of a coward to admit it... because I didn't want to admit that I hadn't wanted to leave Hashiba in the first place..." Sunao paused to swallow, and then said, "You were right the whole time..."

Nakou smiled.

"That's what fiancés are for." She said, grinning, but Sunao continued.

"Demo... We're still engaged... so... Hashiba and I... we can't..." Nakou tilted her head and could tell that Sunao was trying very hard not to cry. She put a hand on the top of his head.

"Nao-kun, I know that it might be hard for you, but I think it's alright for you and Sora to be together." Sunao blinked up at her, peculiarly, "I won't be a jealous wife- if you want to stay with Sora, hold him, kiss him, or stay over night, I won't mind. Because I don't like seeing people be unhappy, Nao-kun should just do what makes him happy."

Sunao gaped at her for a moment, before she added, with a wink.

"Besides, if we ever have any chibis running around, they'll need a Sora-jichan to come over and spoil them when we're not around." Nakou meant it as a joke, but Sunao's lower lip trembled before he curled up, burying his face against his knees. Nakou patted him on the back, trying to ease Sunao's shudders, before she stood.

"Matsuri-chan went to make tea- do you want milk or lemon in yours?" She asked. Sunao shook his head, "Okay."

Just as Nakou was about to leave, Sunao looked up and spoke.

"Nakou-chan..." She paused, and turned to look back at him, "...Anata mou..." Nakou frowned, puzzled, before Sunao finished, "Nakou-chan... if there's someone who makes you happy... you should spend time with them... I won't be a jealous husband... that way..." He said.

Nakou stared for a moment at Sunao, who was offering a weak smile, before she smiled back, almost as though Sunao had read her mind.

"Arigatou, Nao-kun."

She left. Outside, Matsuri already had a tray with teacups on it, his expression reflective.

"Nao-kun is a good friend if he can tell that easily." Nakou smiled, relieving Matsuri's hands and going back in, the other following her.

It was just then that Sora's phone rang, and Sunao immediately dove to answer it.

"Moshi moshi?" He asked, praying that it would be Hashiba calling from a pay phone somewhere.

"...Fujimori-senpai? Is Sora-senpai there?" Sunao paused at the sound of Ichikawa's voice.

"...Ichikawa-kun...? Why are you calling for Hashiba?" He asked, curiously. Ichikawa made a noncommittal noise.

"I thought I should call and let him know that Nagase-buchou and I are coming back- we're going to the airport now- and that he shouldn't be surprised if he sees us soon." Ichikawa said. Sunao paused, then said.

"Oh. Where will you two be staying- I'll tell Hashiba when I see him and we can have a housewarming ready..." Sunao was cut off by Ichikawa's puzzled noise.

"No- not MOVING back. Nagase-buchou and I are just coming back for a little while- y'see, when I called Sora-senpai earlier this morning and was talking to him, I must have said something wrong, or something must have happened, because Sora-senpai suddenly started talking weird, and Nagase-buchou got worried, so we decided to come back to check and make sure everything's okay or if we could help." Ichikawa explained, talking very quickly. Sunao froze.

"...D-Do iu... koto da?" He asked, slowly. Ichikawa made a frustrated noise- their flight was probably going to leave relatively soon, so he probably didn't have much time- but he explained, anyway.

* * *

_Sora awoke much earlier in the mornings than he usually did. With a contented little sigh, and a stretch, he looked down at the fluffy pink hair splayed out on the pillow next to him, and the peaceful face that was pressed into the crook of his neck and shoulder._

_Pressing a small kiss against the resting head, Sora closed his eyes again and slid a hand around Fujimori's waist, palm kissing the bare, semi-warm skin as his lover snuggled in a little closer. Sora could feel the lower extremities of Fujimori's body press against him, but... he didn't really notice. More what he remembered was how that chest had felt as it rose and fell under his hands, how those arms felt wrapped around his shoulders, how the skin on those shoulders had felt under his mouth, how wet and hot that mouth and those lips had felt against his..._

_Sora was about to lay back down and go to sleep again when his phone rang._

_With a groan, Sora got out of bed and picked it up._

"_Moshi mosh..." He droned, grumpily. On the other end, he heard a loud squeal._

"_SO-RA-SEN-PAI-I-I!" Sora held the phone away from his ear before he recognized the voice._

"_...Ichikawa teme... why are you calling so early?" He demanded. On the other end, Ichikawa made a confused noise._

"_...Sora-senpai... it's almost noon... oh, wait..." There was silence on the other end as Ichikawa disappeared for a moment, then returned, "HA HA HA... Gomen, Sora-senpai, I forgot about the time difference..." _

_Sora blinked._

"_...Time difference? Where the hell ARE you, anyway?" Sora grumbled, with a frown. He practically heard Ichikawa smiling over the phone._

"_Guess." He chirped. Sora rolled his eyes, then mumbled._

"_...Hawaii." Ichikawa made a disgusted noise in the back of his throat._

"_Sora-senpai, do the math- where would we be if we're seven hours ahead of you?"_

"_I don't know- I always failed geography..." Sora growled, running a hand over his face. Damn it, he wanted to go back to sleep and curl up next to Fujimori for at least a few more minutes before he had to leave for the school._

"_We're in France! We can see the Eiffel Tower from our window!" Ichikawa cheered. Sora blinked._

"_...We? Oh, yeah, you're living with Nagase..." He finally said, "Why are you in France- don't you like us anymore?" He couldn't help but tease his old classmate, who didn't laugh at the joke._

"_Actually, Nagase-buchou was just concerned about work- he figured if we lived far enough away, we could never be tracked down." Ichikawa said, "Actually, that's why I didn't call you all these years- we wanted to be sure we could cover our tracks before we made contact with anyone- Nagase-buchou found out a way to erase calls so they can't be tracked."_

_Sora frowned._

"_...Tracked? Ichikawa... did you two kill someone or something before you left?" He asked, very seriously. Ichikawa made an offended noise._

"_Sora-senpai, how could you think such a thing? Jitsu wa, Nagase-buchou was really more worried about his father... after all, with what happened, if he ever found us, Nagase-buchou was sure that his father would have tried to use me in order to get Nagase-buchou back or something like that..."_

_Sora froze._

"_Nani...?" Sora asked, eyes going wide._

"_Sora-senpai, didn't you know? Nagase-buchou saw his father escape this fire- Nagase-buchou's eyes were damaged by the heat and his hands were burned when he tried to get out... but he said he saw his father break through a window and escape, so he thought that he might not have made it from all the glass falling on him and everything, but Fujimori-senpai told us just a few weeks before graduation that he'd been contacted, so Nagase-buchou thought it would be a good idea to get out of Japan..."_

_With every word, Sora lowered the phone away from his ear._

"_Thanks, Ichikawa..." Sora said, in a monotone, before hanging up, not even hearing Ichikawa shouting,_

"_Sora-senpai? Sora-senpai, what's-"_

_Sora stared into space for a moment, before turning back and looking down at Sunao's sleeping face, as all the pieces fell into place._

* * *

Sunao's hands shook as Ichikawa explained the conversation he'd had- not just his hands, but his whole body was trembling as he realized what this meant, now. 

Hashiba knew... Hashiba knew now, and... oh God...

Sunao's mouth hung open as he tried to find words to respond, as Ichikawa asked if he was alright. Even Matsuri-chan and Nakou-chan were hovering around, asking if Sunao was choking on something or if he was okay.

Sunao couldn't hear them clearly. Everything seemed so far away, like his vision was tunneling out and all his strings were coming undone. Sunao put his hands over his mouth, curling up into a ball as he shook so badly, dropping the phone.

He didn't hear Matsuri picking up the phone and talking with Ichikawa. He didn't hear Nakou-chan trying to soothe him or bring him back to reality. He didn't even hear his own voice start muttering unintelligible sounds and nonsense words in a somewhat hysterical voice.

Hashiba knew now...

It was all over...

For the second time that day, Sunao fainted.

* * *

Matsuri finally thought to check the school and found, while Sora wasn't there, Nanami was.

"Honjou-kun, it's unusual to see you here anymore..." He said, with a pleasant smile, which dropped away as soon as he saw the look on his face. Nakou was right behind Matsuri, and was the only one who saw Shinichirou coming up the hallway.

"Nanami-sensei, I think you need to hear this." Matsuri began, in a very business-like manner, before the Matsuri-duo came in fully and sat down on stools. Nanami blinked, but listened.

"For starters, Sora has been missing all day." Nakou said, hands folded together neatly in her lap, but she couldn't help but squeeze them both with anticipation. Nanami's eyes went wide and his face went pale, but other than that, he didn't react.

"Hashiba Sei was also injured last night, and when he regained consciousness, he only kept saying something about how Sora was in danger and needed to be warned." Shinichirou added in, coming into the infirmary. Nanami cast him a glance, but quickly looked back to Matsuri and Nakou to avoid meeting Shinichirou's eyes.

"Sou ka... Well, then Honjou-kun, do you know where he might be?" Nanami sounded sincerely worried, but also as though he understood that Matsuri was simply bringing him the news, instead of coming to look for a solution.

"We might, because we found something out from Ichikawa-kun over the phone just now." Matsuri said, with a hard stare. Nanami blinked, utterly confused, before Matsuri explained.

"Apparently, Aizawa is still alive- for the past ten years, at least, Nao-kun has been contacted by him, repeatedly." Matsuri's statement made everyone freeze, even Shinichirou, to whom, this was a great shock, as the two of them had been living and operating under the belief that Aizawa died in the fire that Sora and Sunao had escaped.

"...It's probably more than that- Nao-kun's work is much like what I've been told thus far about his experiences in the laboratory. He's often tired, sore, and sick during breaks, he wears long sleeves even on hot days, sometimes with bandages everywhere and making excuses that he injured himself in accidents in the kitchen or at work, and even though I'm allowed to see him during his lunch breaks, I'm often told that only authorized personnel are allowed past the front doors. It's entirely possible that Nao-kun has been blackmailed and threatened to being a test subject again, and only being paid a token amount so he can say it's a 'Job' and maintain an appearance."

Nanami's face was very white at this point, as he looked down at his knees and whispered.

"...That also explains Ryouya-san's report when they both went in for an examination... Fujimori-kun had some sort of chemicals in his system that mimicked a designer drug... and that was what was making him sick..." He said, voice coming out strained. Shinichirou even looked pale.

"Then... Sei-kun being injured... must have been Aizawa's doing, too..." Nanami looked up, and met Shinichirou's gaze for the first time that day. Shinichirou's eyes went wide and even Nakou could see his pupils dilate before he ran out, mumbling something about having to find Sora. Nanami was out of his chair in a moment, going after him.

"Shinichirou!"

* * *

At Matsuri's apartment, Sunao woke up.

Without even thinking about it, Sunao hypnotically stood up, left the apartment, and began walking for the research facility.

* * *

"Sora-kun, you're sure everything is okay, now?" Hiromu asked, seeing Sora to the door. Sora smiled, thinly, and patted Hiromu's head, reassuringly.

"Aah. Fujimori and I got everything straightened out- you don't need to be worried anymore." He said with a smile, before he left. Hiromu closed the door with a wave, and Sora counted off on his fingers.

"Okay... Saw Chris, Soushi... Hiromu... Went to the school, playground, park, and coffeeshop..."

With a sigh, Sora admitted that he had just walked back through everywhere that he'd been his entire life. With nowhere else to revisit or anymore people to make peace with, Sora knew he had to go back.

He arrived at his apartment complex, said hello to the landlady and thanked her for always being so helpful and efficient- something she was surprised at, since Sora had almost never done that- before he left for the facility that was Fujimori's workplace.

Waiting for him was a man, at least twice his age, and in a familiar white coat.

"Hashiba Sora." That familiar voice said. Sora stopped, and was determined not to freeze. He glared at the man who turned around, almost slow enough for Sora to swear he was deliberately trying to be dramatic.

It was unmistakably Aizawa, but he was practically unrecognizable. His whole face was covered in a large burn scar, his head had bandages wrapped all the way around it, with a hat over it to cover the damage. His ears and nose were deformed, as though they'd been melted and then not molded back into their proper shape- which was probably, more or less, what had happened.

Sora's scowl deepened, if possible, but he said nothing as Aizawa walked towards him.

* * *

At the hospital, Ren Shiina and Kitamura Fuuta watched over their injured friend and business partner.

* * *

"Shinichirou!" Nanami kept calling after Shinichirou, who wasn't looking back as they all ran for the place that Sunao worked- none of them had any doubt that they'd find Aizawa there.

"Shinichirou-san, matte!" Matsuri called.

"Matsuri-chan, what happened last time something like this happened?" Nakou asked as she managed to keep up. Matsuri's eyes narrowed and he couldn't answer.

A/N: Hoo boy... next chapter, everything will go straight to hell.

Be ready with the tissues- you'll need them.

For anyone curious as to why Gaki-no-Sora gets around so much... that was based on the games- depending on the choices that the player makes, Sora can end up with a lot of different people: Now that I think about it, he could end up with virtually ANY of the other characters except the chibi-tachis, Gaku, Nagase, Aizawa, and Ayano... seriously, there are even endings where Sora and Nanami are paired up or Sora and Shinichirou are together... which... isn't gonna happen here... but, in any case, that's why Sora had a lot of different relationships and bed warmers in the past ten years- kind of my tribute to the games.


	12. Chapter 12

10 years

By Sapadu

A/N: Thank you, everyone, for being supportive thus far- I appreciate it as the story is coming to a close. This isn't the last chapter, but it is probably the most dramatic and the most action-packed. Meaning there will be a lot of running, dramatic shouting of names, and maybe some blood. Have those tissues handy, you'll need them.

Here- search my pockets. You won't find anything in them. Including this ownership.

* * *

"You've been hurting Fujimori for ten years... and I didn't even know about it..." Sora growled, his eyes narrowing down to dangerous slits. His arms were shaking, but he knew better than to throw a punch. Maybe it was because he was so furious and indignant on Fujimori's behalf, or maybe it was because Aizawa wasn't even a shadow of his former self in terms of appearance- Sora didn't know WHY- but he couldn't be afraid of the man. Something inside him was on fire, burning so hot that even the slightest bit of fear was simply no longer possible for him to feel.

Even if Sora had WANTED to be afraid, he couldn't.

Aizawa was smirking that same, insufferable smirk. His face looked even more twisted and hideous with it.

"Since you know all the details, would you care to come in, where we may talk in privacy. It would be a shame if some innocent passerby were to hear and be injured later, like Hashiba Sei was..." The doctor offered. Sora's eyes widened and his throat constricted. His hand clenched and his knuckles quickly went numb and sore, but he grit his teeth and managed to nod, calmly, his glare intensifying with his hatred as he followed Aizawa into the building.

Aizawa even held the door open to the stairwell as he invited Sora into a room on the upper floor. Inside, Sora was trying to brace himself for what he would see inside- instruments, test tubes, needles, tables with surgical materials... all of which, Sora was sure he couldn't even imagine the things they'd done to Fujimori with- but he didn't show his relief when it simply turned out to be a kind of office. There was even a coffee machine.

Aizawa was mocking him.

Sora didn't make a sound, grinding his teeth together as he stayed standing. Aizawa also remained standing, but probably for a different reason. Sora scowled as Aizawa turned, with a pleasant manner, as though he was going to offer him some tea.

"What did you do to Fujimori? Why do you still keep hurting him? Why can't you just leave us alone?" Sora wasn't really asking these questions, but more mumbling them, as though saying it would make it easier for him to figure out.

Aizawa sneered.

* * *

"He lost us..." Matsuri panted, leaning against a building as the other two tried to catch their breath. Nanami was practically crying with frustration and worry and Nakou had her hands on her knees.

Shinichirou had run out of sight from all of them, and they were now without a clue where he was.

Finally, Nakou stood straight, with a proposal.

"I think... even if it's not the place Shinichirou-san went, we'll find something that we're looking for."

Nanami and Matsuri blinked at her.

* * *

"Sunao..." Shinichirou came to a grinding halt as he reached the building of the research facility. Sunao was standing out in front, with a very blank expression on his face. His eyes were glassy and half-closed while his jaw looked slack and his mouth hung half open.

It was a look that sent shivers up Shinichirou's spine, that he'd seen it on Sora's face ten years ago.

"Sunao!" Shinichirou shouted, as Sunao started to walk through the doors, "Sunao!"

The doors closed, and locked Shinichirou outside.

* * *

$&(&($#$#$#$&&&$ 

Sora jumped and spun around at the sound of footsteps behind him.

"It's good to see that you came, Fujimori Sunao." Aizawa said, calmly. Sora didn't say a word, having completely frozen in his place. Fujimori was staring blankly into space, not even blinking. He stood completely still, not meeting anyone's gaze, and Sora had to look closely to be sure that his chest was rising and falling with breath.

Sunao reminded Sora very much of a puppet being controlled.

"Fujimori..." He mumbled, starting to shake. If he'd been alone with Aizawa, he would have been able to handle it... but he hadn't counted on Fujimori showing up.

Aizawa was still smirking, which was never a good sign.

"It's true Fujimori Sunao remained a specimen of this experiment. However, he stayed behind of his own will, unlike what you anticipated." Aizawa's words made Sora quake on the inside, even as he tried to consider the many, warped definitions that Aizawa might give to 'of his own will', "If he'd been difficult, I wouldn't have minded leaving Fujimori behind- however, he contacted me as soon as he'd learned of my continued existence and asked to be kept on this project."

Sora didn't look back at Aizawa- in fact, his eyes didn't leave Sunao's face, looking for any indicator that the other man in the room was lying. Sunao didn't move, as though he wasn't even aware of other people in the room.

"Fujimori..." Sora whispered, in a pained voice.

Sunao didn't respond.

"The reason why the experiment was still on-going was because of a lack of specimen survival. Most other specimens in the earlier stages never survived past puberty, while you two have made it far beyond that. As a result, further observation was needed to see the effects throughout adulthood, and the results we've observed from Fujimori are more than satisfactory. His acceptance of the commands he's given is more than astounding, and we have yet to hear a word of complaint, even under strenuous conditions." Aizawa was still smiling. Sora's hands started to shake as he lifted one to touch Sunao, but it stopped halfway out of it's own volition.

"...uso..." Sora muttered, weakly. His hand lowered as Sunao's face remained blank, and it suddenly occurred to him exactly why this was all happening- once again, he was the one at fault.

"And, for the purposes of maintaining an appearance as a normal, working member of society, he was allowed to live, unsupervised, in an apartment and maintain contact with an acquaintance from school- Honjou Matsuri- whom had no knowledge of any details involving his prior experiences under observation. Because of these details, he was never suspected to be taking part in the project." Aizawa's voice was growing even dimmer to Sora's ears.

Even if it was in the past, even if there had been misunderstandings, even if Fujimori had forgiven him... this all came back to that day that they'd left Sunao behind. Whatever feelings made Fujimori go back to working for Aizawa, whatever the doctor had done to his old roommate to control him so thoroughly... everything came back to the fact that he'd escaped... and Sunao had been left behind for an unspecified amount of time afterwards.

Sora's hand dropped back to his side.

"There was a flaw in our strategy, though- you two were used as a pair, so we had to find you. That's why Fujimori Sunao was given a second mission: Find Hashiba Sora." Aizawa's toxic words broke through, and everything seemed to make sense.

He turned back slowly and stared at Aizawa.

"And, once he found you, his instructions were to act as bait and draw you back to the laboratory so we could finish our project. Something which he's done with incredible ease, if this is any indicator..."

Sora didn't move. He couldn't. The whole world seemed to have stopped. In his mind, he was going back over the past year, scrutinizing every detail of the time he'd spent with Fujimori this whole year. Was there ever a moment that he could have noticed and could have prevented this from happening? Could Sunao ever have said anything or done something that might have let him know- times when he was trying to drop a hint that Sora had just been too dense to notice?

Or... and this almost gave Sora a heart attack... or had Fujimori been willingly going along with this, just like Aizawa said? Had that longing for revenge that had caused the events ten years ago never really been quelled- even if the understanding had been made better, could Fujimori still have wanted, if nothing else, for Sora to understand, first-hand, exactly what he'd gone through?

Sora didn't know who to believe- Aizawa, despite being someone who he didn't trust overall, had never needed to lie, especially with truths as painful as this for him to use, and Sora didn't even know if Sunao would tell the truth if he said anything.

Or... if anything he'd said thus far had been true at all...

"_That he said he was too busy was a lie. And he isn't a researcher like he told you he was- Nao-kun is hiding something."_

Had Matsuri known the whole time? Or had Sunao told him something different?

And how much of it had been because he was under orders and how much was because he wanted to hide it, truly?

"_Maybe I'm not the Fujimori you remember, Hashiba."_

Sora was shaking and he didn't even notice it.

"_After all the time and effort it took me to find you, that's all you have to say for yourself?"_

Had even RAN been a part of this plot- or had that been just because he wanted to see Yoru again? Either way, Fujimori HAD been searching for him...

Was everything then...

"_Hashiba, you are... my friend too... now..."_

"_Happy Valentine's Day, Hashiba."_

"_Nakou-chan told me... the same thing after they pulled that Kaitou prank on us... we really have been... selfish..."_

"_...I missed you, too... Hashiba..."_

"_I was always watching... and wishing that it was me, instead of Ran... sleeping next to Hashiba..."_

...just a lie?

For some odd reason, Sora understood how lonely Sunao must have felt, left alone in that laboratory.

"But, now that you've returned, I also made sure that Fujimori would be here- since he's no longer of any use..." Aizawa was speaking again, but Sora didn't hear him quite clearly. Sunao didn't seem to, either.

Thus, neither of them reacted, when Aizawa lifted a gun from his pocket.

"...Subject Fujimori Sunao is to be disposed of."

The gun was leveled at Sunao and a shot was heard.

The sound of the gunshot seemed to awaken both Sunao and Sora at the same time, alerting them to a whirlwind of occurrences that happened in that moment.

A new voice was heard, shouting,

"HASHIRU!"

Shinichirou made a running jump and pushed Sunao to the floor.

Sunao screamed.

Sora screamed.

Blood pooled on the floor, seeping from a wound in Shinichirou's side and Sunao's leg.

A click was heard as Aizawa changed the bullets in the gun.

Then there was silence.

Aizawa glared at Sora, whom had put himself firmly in front of the gun, holding onto the barrel.

"Yamete kure..." His voice was hoarse, but firm. Aizawa just raised an eyebrow.

"You're in no position to be giving me orders." He said, mildly, and Sora just glared back.

"If you try shooting at Fujimori again, I'll block it. You'll lose the results of your experiment without knowing how it turned out." Sora whispered, fiercely. Aizawa's glare seemed to intensify, as though Sora had said something which was worth considering.

"And after that, I'll shoot you, too." Sora added, with a kind of bloodlust that normally, only Yoru would have been able to even pretend. Except it wasn't Yoru. It was Sora. And he meant it.

Aizawa's grip on the gun released. Sora took the weapon and snapped it, breaking the barrel from the trigger at it's hinge and dropped it.

"I'll come with you, then. Since you want your results so badly, I'll cooperate. On the condition that nobody else is harmed."

Sunao didn't know what happened after that, but those words stuck. It had been the only thing he heard clearly, and he heard it so loud and firm that it repeated in his mind, over and over.

"...ha... shi... ba..." Sunao only barely managed to whisper, but Sora walked away, right behind Aizawa, without even looking back.

"Shinichirou! Fujimori-kun!"

Sunao didn't even notice Nanami come running up in the other direction, screaming their names.

* * *

On the lower level, Nakou and Matsuri heard a loud noise, like a gunshot, above their heads, then screaming. Nakou told Matsuri to continue with what he was doing while she went to investigate.

Nakou only made it to the bottom of the stairwell as a man covered in bandages walked out, Sora following right in his shadow. He cast her a sideways glance, then continued without a word.

Nakou just stared after them, helplessly.

* * *

"_Kuu-chan... okida nai de..."_

* * *

Sunao tossed, his memories morphing into nightmares as he slept without peace. After a moment, however, his eyes fluttered open, only to squint at the bright lights shining directly in his eyes. 

"Nice to see you awake, Nao-kun." Sunao opened his eyes again, to see both Matsuri and Nakou watching over him.

"...Matsuri-chan... Nakou-chan..."

"Sunao-senpai." Sunao started, then turned his head to see the familiar faces of Ren Shiina and Kitamura Fuuta also looking on, both very relieved as he blinked.

"...Sh-Shiina... Kitamura-kun..." He mumbled, still in something of a daze, "...Nande..."

"Sei-kun was injured just yesterday. He's sleeping in the bed right behind them." Matsuri explained, and Shiina moved out of the way enough for Sunao to see the painfully familiar blue hair.

...so very blue...

Sunao shut his eyes and turned his head away. Nakou and Matsuri both wore identical pained expressions as the former chibi-tachis excused themselves, saying they would go get drinks.

After a moment of silence, Sunao whispered something that sounded suspiciously like 'Hashiba', but it was so quiet that neither Nakou nor Matsuri could tell for sure.

Though, logically thinking, they knew it was the only thing Suano WOULD be saying.

"Nao-kun..." Matsuri mumbled, sorrowfully, before Nakou walked over and took a seat on the bed, for lack of a chair to sit in.

"...Nao-kun.." She also said, but when Sunao didn't respond, she started to talk with false cheer about how nice the weather was outside, how the sakura trees had just started to bud, and maybe they all could go for a picnic when Sunao's injuries were healed, but Sunao didn't react.

After another moment, Nakou sighed, then patted Sunao on the head.

"Nao-kun, we have something that we need to ask you." She said, seriously. Sunao's right eye opened just a sliver so that he could look at her, before Nakou glanced up at Matsuri.

"Nao-kun... when the ambulances arrived, they found this in your pocket-" Matsuri held up a box and opened the lid for all of them to see a sharp knife that was still bloody- probably placed in a box so that it couldn't cut anything or anyone on accident, "It had gone through your pocket and punctured deep into your leg muscle, so that's why you're in the hospital, now..."

"Why did you have a knife with you, Nao-kun?" Nakou asked, giving him a stern glance. Sunao's eyes shut, in a grimace, before he turned his head again. No- wait... that would mean looking at Sei. Looking at Hashiba... Sunao looked back up at the ceiling. He felt too stiff to sit up, but started to talk, in a deadpan.

"...Ore..." Nakou and Matsuri listened, intently, "I was so sick of it... when I realized that Hashiba had found out... when I realized that everyone knew that I'd been lying and deceiving them... it made me realize... how tired I was of being so afraid of him... I realized... how much I wanted out... and not only for me, but so Hashiba, Oniichan, and Nanami-sensei didn't have to live in fear of him, either..." Sunao paused, to swallow, then continued to talk, staring at the light on the ceiling, as though it held all the answers to the universe.

"I was going to kill Aizawa..." Sunao's confession was soft, but had the correct effect. Nakou and Matsuri started, visably, staring at Sunao, maybe because they were amazed he was admitting it, or maybe it was the calm, honest voice he spoke with, but it startled them, nonetheless, "I took the knife from Matsuri-chan's apartment... and I walked towards the facility... believing that if I didn't kill him, I could at least kill myself, and then he could no longer use me, as either a test subject, or as a tool to hurt other people with..."

Sunao made another grimace.

"Demo... I didn't realize that Hashiba would have gone to confront him... or that he'd be expecting me..." Sunao's voice trembled, "As soon as I saw that Hashiba was there, and that Aizawa knew I would be coming... I didn't know what to do... soushite... ore..."

Matsuri and Nakou were speechless.

"...Nao-kun..." Matsuri mumbled, before regaining his composure. Nakou was still staring with her mouth wide open and her green eyes wide and glittering with half-formed tears. Matsuri nudged her.

"Maybe now would be a good time to tell him..." He suggested, waking Nakou up. She blinked for a moment, but then nodded.

Sunao turned to look at them, frowning.

"...Dou... shita?" He asked, slowly. Nakou smiled, thinly, before she spoke.

"...Nao-kun... this might be good news... this might be bad news... but I think it'll at least make a few things a little easier..." She started, slowly, as Sunao eased himself up, a little, stiffness leaking from his neck and shoulders as he propped himself up on his pillow, "...Demo... Matsuri-chan and Nanami-sensei told me some more of the details about what happened to you when you were younger... before the first time..."

Sunao flinched.

"...And, after that, I passed along that information to Tou-san... He was one of the major funding sources for the project- which was why, I found out, that I was referred to you by the person who referred the go-between, as a sort of contract- so, once he heard what was happening, he decided to stop sponsoring the project..."

Nakou paused, and Sunao felt a little bit of relief that that much had been done- it wouldn't stop Aizawa... but it would delay him for a while...

"...And, because of that... 'Tou-san also decided that the engagement should be broken." Sunao blinked, once, twice, trying to figure out if he'd heard correctly.

After a moment, his brain picked a different topic to focus on, and he turned to Matsuri, with a slight frown.

"...How did you get Michiya-san to believe you?" He asked. Matsuri laughed, bashfully, and held up his camera.

"We had evidence. I was glad to have this around..."

Sunao's face went blank again and he stared away at his knees again.

"Sou da..." He mumbled, suddenly realizing everything that had just been said- The engagement was off. Meaning that Nakou-chan was no longer his fiancé. Meaning... as soon as they were finished talking... she was going to leave.

Matsuri-chan... he would probably leave, too... because Sunao had made Hashiba leave, and Nakou-chan was a better friend for him, now...

Shiina, Kitamura, and Sei would be gone as soon as Sei could leave the hospital... and they'd probably stay away forever, now that he'd made their 'Sora-niichan' disappear...

Nanami-sensei... Sunao would be amazed if Nanami-sensei even acknowledged his existence after this, much less was kind to him, MUCH LESS stay... And Oniichan would leave, too...

Everyone was going to leave... Sunao knew it... he JUST knew it...

With a held in sob, Sunao pulled the hospital sheet over his head so he didn't have to see the reminder of the Hashiba he'd made disappear as he turned onto his side, away from Nakou and Matsuri.

* * *

The doctors came in shortly, Ayano amongst them, to check on both Sei and Sunao, asking the Matsuri-duo to leave, however politely. Nakou and Matsuri stood out in the hall with the two Jack of All Trades executives, returning with drinks, and an observant Kano-kun.

However, considering the combination of people outside, there was little noise or talking, until Matsuri gave Nakou a long, pained look as she took a long sip from her drink.

"I'm sorry your parents used you like that..." He said, softly. Nakou raised her eyebrows for a moment, before she smiled and shrugged it off.

"I don't mind... If they hadn't tried to get me engaged to Nao-kun, I never would have met him, or made such a good friend... And I wouldn't have met or made friends with Matsuri-chan, Sora, Nanami-sensei, or Shinichirou-san..." Nakou smiled, reflectively, "There's nothing for me to regret, really..."

"Except that, since your wedding's off, you won't get to go shopping with your groom for a dress..." Kano-kun observed, dryly. All the adults stared at him, before snickering, Matsuri especially, as he could just imagine Nakou dragging Nao-kun into wedding boutiques and insisting that HE try on a wedding dress for himself.

The doctors left soon, and immediately, Nakou and Matsuri's first question was how Sunao was doing. Ayano assured them that his leg would be just fine, if he kept off it for a few days, and that Sei, whom Shiina and Kitamura were anxious about, would also be fine- merely in a lot of pain while he healed.

As the doctors left, Nakou turned to Matsuri and asked,

"What did Sora do when this happened last time?"

Matsuri was silent for a moment, before answering.

"He ran to see Shinichirou-san..."

Not a moment later, the door to the room slid open and Sunao hobbled out, leaning against the wall as his bad leg trembled. Nobody made any move to stop him.

"Yappari..." Nakou muttered.

* * *

The light over the emergency room was on, signifying that it was in use.

Nanami was staring up at it, useless in his distraught state, to the point that the other doctors had ordered him to stay outside, saying that if any mistake was made, it could be fatal.

Nanami had never been so shaken, before. He'd been hysterical, depressed, numb, and hurt... but never something like this.

Part of it was because he hadn't realized that Shinichirou had only been a floor above his head as he had assisted Honjou-kun and Michiya-chan break into the facility and take incriminating photographs, documenting the horrible things that had happened to Fujimori-kun in that place, but another part of it was the idea that this had happened, yet AGAIN... Shinichirou had been injured, all over again... and he had not only failed to prevent it- he'd failed to prevent it in spite of the fact that they had both known, from the beginning, that something was astray...

Nanami didn't notice that Sunao was standing right behind him, staring between him and the 'In-use' sign on the operating room with a glazed over look.

Silently, Sunao turned and walked away.

* * *

How many damn laboratories did he HAVE? 

Sora's eyes glazed over as he watched Aizawa snap on some gloves and prepare syringes. He didn't understand why- not much could be done to make Aizawa's condition any worse... and he certainly didn't care for Sora's health nor legal regulations.

"...You were lying..." Sora mumbled, and Aizawa paused, one eye sliding back to glare at him, "Either that, or you were wrong..."

"Nani ni tsuite?" Aizawa asked, as though they were discussing the weather over tea.

"...Fujimori didn't call you to ask to be taken back on the project... He contacted you to make a bargain." Sora spoke the words with a kind of venom, pleased that he'd gotten to a nerve.

"I have no idea what you mean..."

"...because... Fujimori and I have been in contact for a year now... and he probably kept insisting that he hadn't seen me since we last parted ways..."

Aizawa's hands froze.

"...Or was Fujimori insisting that Yoru was gone and wouldn't be coming back?" Sora pushed.

The next thing Sora heard was,

"Let's begin, shall we?"

* * *

'Nao, you almost never WANT to talk to me... what's changed?' Ran's voice asked, sarcastically sweet. Sunao sighed, but he could just see the smile on his other self's face.

"...I don't know what to do..." Sunao confessed, though, to anyone outside the room, it must have sounded like he was talking to himself. Ran considered.

'What do you want to do?' He finally asked.

Sunao stared at his lap for a long moment, before he finally said something.

"I want to do for Hashiba what Hashiba has always done for me." Sunao whispered.

Ran tilted his head, then started to chuckle.

Sunao raised an eyebrow, almost seeing with his own, actual eyes, Ran sitting right in front of him.

After Ran stopped giggling, he smiled a very familiar smile at Sunao, ruby eyes glowing, warmly.

It seemed very... motherly... for some reason.

'...Nao... when you first created a character called 'Ran'... you envisioned me to be like Nanami, didn't you?' Sunao gaped at what seemed like a non-sequitir, but he nodded, just the same, now that he thought about it.

'Thinking about it, Yoru always seemed to resemble Shinichirou... that was probably for a reason, too...' Ran continued, and Sunao suddenly realized why Ran was mentioning it, 'So, really, this whole time, Nao and Sora just wanted parents to care and look over them.'

Sunao looked down at his lap, and Ran smiled, with a chuckle.

'Yoru never left Sora. I can't leave Nao for the same reason. But we'll always be here, letting you two make your own decisions- just be sure you make them for yourself. And for the right reason.'

Sunao looked up at Ran, who was still smiling that Nanami-esque smile. After a long moment, Sunao smiled back, and Ran faded.

A/N: Not the last chapter- the next one TECHNICALLY IS... but we'll see...

I just realized, we haven't seen much of Matsuri taking pictures, have we? And the comment about Nakou taking Nao-kun shopping... it was sort of a joke based on my humor muse, a song called 'Gay Boyfriend'... because Nakou would look on the bright side in such a fashion: "Oh... Nao-kun's gay... well, at least we can share clothes this way! And we can go boy-watching together!"

Translations:

Hashiru- A command for 'Run'. There's also, I think, one that is something like 'Nigirou'... but that's not the word Shinichirou uses.

Okida nai de- This is the best I could spell it- these are Sunao's words to Sora "Don't leave me here."


	13. Chapter 13

10 years

By Sapadu

A/N: Thanks again to all of my readers and reviewers, as this story comes to an end- In response to the comment I received about the parallel between Ran vs Nanami and Yoru vs. Shinichirou... I saw a picture on the box of the first game featuring Yoru and Ran both holding the little children Sora and Sunao, the two of them looking kind of like Shinichirou and Nanami, in terms of their attitudes. That's where I got it from.

I should warn you, though, there is going to be violence towards the end, in a particularly disturbing scene which, if you're a big fan of Nanami, you might want to skip (or, possibly, might make you drool, if you think it would be cool to see Nanami kick some ass for once.)

ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT... I'll talk! I don't own the series!

* * *

"At least a week- after that, the stitches should be healed up enough for you to walk. But if you run or jump for a few days after that, they'll reopen, so you'll have to be careful." Ayano was explaining. Sunao was listening, carefully, but the look on his face was more than an announcement that he was not pleased with this development.

"Arigatou gozaimasu. Sorry for causing you trouble." Sunao replied, mechanically bowing with politeness.

The Masturi-duo were standing outside the doors, listening in on the conversation, intently. Already, they knew what was going through Sunao's mind. Ayano replied in a conversational tone, but it didn't go very far as he excused himself and allowed the two blonds back inside.

As Sunao stared at the wall, Matsuri sat down next to him, before giving Sunao a stern glance.

"...Nao-kun..." He said, firmly. Sunao turned his eyes up, and spoke before the lecture began.

"I won't try to leave before that." Sunao mumbled. Matsuri blinked, but sat back with a bit more ease, before Sunao spoke again, "...I need to ask you and Nakou-chan for a favor... Matsuri-chan..."

Matsuri and Nakou stood up a little straighter, as Sunao spoke so seriously.

"Nani..." Nakou asked, softly. Sunao didn't answer for a few moments, as though considering how to word his request, then, he swallowed.

"...I need you to find where Aizawa took Hashiba..."

* * *

"Because... Fujimori kept insisting that he just wanted me to be safe... He must have called Aizawa to make the agreement that he would be a willing test subject... on the condition that I wouldn't be harmed..." Sora mumbled, while Yoru listened, patiently.

After a moment of hearing Sora explain it, even Yoru had to admit it made sense.

"...Ore no sei da..." Sora finally whispered, as Yoru gave him a sharp glance, "...Because... it was me that Aizawa wanted all along... Fujimori has been suffering for so long... he was even willing to walk back into this kind of life... that Ran would suffer along with him... that Niichan was injured again... that everyone would be involved again..." Sora held his head in his hands, eyes slipping shut, "...Datte... ore..."

Yoru remained silent.

* * *

"...Nao-kun... you want to find Sora that badly?" Matsuri asked, frowning a little.

Sunao's eyes locked with Matsuri and all possible doubts were eradicated.

"Aizawa took Hashiba on the same deal that I made with him. Seeing how well he kept his bargain on that one, I don't know what Aizawa will do to Hashiba..." Sunao's eyes were very narrowed, "...and it's my fault that Hashiba is in this situation again. I need to be the one to save him."

"Dame, Nao-kun." Nakou interrupted from the door frame. Matsuri and Sunao blinked and stared at her uncharacteristic seriousness. She was even frowning.

"Nakou-chan..." Matsuri mumbled, as she walked over.

"Dame desu, Nao-kun." She repeated. Sunao was briefly struck dumb as he locked eyes with his former fiancé, before he glared and sat up, protesting.

"Nakou-chan, this is important. I have to go." He insisted, "I'm not going to leave before the doctors say I'm allowed- that's why I'm asking you two to go and find out where they are!" Nakou shook her head.

"Sore ja nai." Nakou replied, maintaining her gaze, "Nao-kun... why do you want to be the one to save Sora?" She asked.

Sunao blinked, completely taken aback by the question.

"If this is something stupid or rash, such as wanting revenge on Aizawa or feeling obligated to repay Sora or because you're the one responsible... I'll hold you down myself as the doctors sedate you, if necessary." Nakou continued, firmly.

Sunao's eyes went wide, before he looked down, guiltily.

"...O-ore..." He mumbled, not sure of what his real reason was. Matsuri wore a pained expression, before adding,

"...Nao-kun... Nakou-chan is right. After everything that's happened, if you go in for the wrong reasons, completely unprepared, you'll only hurt yourself, and Sora, even further." He said. Sunao's eyebrows quivered, before he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"...Ano tokii... Hashiba was always with me... that's the one thing that I remembered, above everything... that Hashiba never stood by and let me suffer. Even if it was something in school, like that stupid boat race Matsuri-chan looped us into..."

Matsuri blinked, and recalled the incident- but mostly how Sora had stepped up and defended Sunao... and even then, it had only been because Sunao was being harassed for being afraid of water than the actual force that Sora had gotten mad about...

"...If I was in trouble, and if Hashiba knew about it... he always came to my defense." Sunao mumbled, but it was articulate, "In the lab... in school... and when Aizawa started his experiments again... Hashiba... Hashiba never stood by and watched as I needed help..."

Sunao paused, head hanging so his bangs fell and hid his face.

"There might have been times when he didn't know... times when he wasn't there... demo... Hashiba... always tried his hardest for me... whenever he could..."

A loud gulping noise was heard echoing off the walls.

"...Dakara... this one time... I want Hashiba to know... that I haven't forgotten that... I want to bring him back... to atone for everything I've done... and so that Hashiba... doesn't have to depend on only himself when things become too painful..."

The room was deathly silent, before there was a knock on the door. The three blinked at it, before Matsuri stood to answer.

"KONNICHI WA, HONJOU-SENPAI-TACHI!" A loud, familiar voice bellowed while the green-haired figure standing right at his side plugged his ears.

Sunao and Matsuri blinked with surprise, as Ichikawa Gaku bounced in, arm in arm with Nagase Kai. Nakou simply tilted her head with curiosity.

"...Dare... kore?" Ichikawa asked, impishly. Nakou extended her hand to shake.

"Michiya Nakou-chan." Matsuri answered, and Nagase paused, frowning at her.

"Michiya? Masaka... you wouldn't be the daughter of the owner of the Michiya corporation, would you?" He asked. Nakou peered at him, owlishly, before answering.

"...You've heard of Tou-san, then?" She asked, and Sunao put in,

"She knows about Aizawa, Nagase." Nakou blinked at Sunao, before turning back to Nagase, hand still extended. Nagase smiled, somewhat thinly.

"A pleasure to meet the daughter of one of my father's former sponsors." He agreed, kissing the back of Nakou's hand instead of shaking it and causing the eyes of everyone in the room to bug out.

"NA-GA-SE-BU-CHO-OU!" Ichikawa whined, tugging on the back of said buchou's coat, "HOW CAN YOU DO THAT WHEN YOU ALREADY HAVE ME?!"

Nagase, meanwhile, was smirking, as though pleased that he'd managed to get Ichikawa jealous. Nakou blinked, before grinning as well.

"...Troublemaker... I think we'll get along just FINE..." There was a mild chuckle, before Nakou pulled her hand away and stretched her fingers.

"Matsuri-chan! Ikou ka!" She said, cheerfully. Matsuri blinked, curious as to what she was referring to.

"Nao-kun asked us to find where Aizawa took Sora, didn't he? After all, he can't leave the hospital for a week." Nakou clarified, with a wink.

Matsuri blinked at her, before grinning back with an identical expression. Ichikawa and Nagase stared at Sunao, whom was openly gaping at Nakou.

"Wakkatta! Ikou ze!" Matsuri agreed, heading for the door, before Nagase stopped them.

Matsuri and Nakou gave him a curious glance, before he spoke.

"...Look for a building that would be out of the way, unlikely to be disturbed, probably with a fence or a sign forbidding trespassing. And, it would most likely have a generator- most of his testing methods require electricity to run, so the buildings almost always have a generator in case of a power outage." Nagase told them.

Nakou blinked, again.

Ichikawa gaped, almost horrified that his lover would help them with something that could so easily lead to more casualties than one.

Sunao couldn't find words, either to thank Nagase, or to ask why he was assisting them- especially after being used to the other as a supervisor for the project.

Matsuri smiled, nodded, and then, the two of them were gone.

* * *

"He'll need to remain in the hospital for quite some time- partially because he lost a lot of blood, but also because the bullet caused some minor lead poisoning and damage that needs to be treated and healed. But he should wake up relatively soon, other than those conditions."

Nanami nodded, mechanically as Ayano offered the details of Shinichirou's recovery. He wasn't listening clearly. Really, Nanami was waiting for the words 'you may see him'. His hands were twitching, almost like an addict separated from his drug for too long.

...That was what Shinichirou was... like a drug for Nanami... a wonderful, healing, pain-numbing drug which made life bearable and happy.

It made Nanami shake to think that was what his beloved had been reduced to in his eyes.

Ayano paused from his obligation of informing Nanami of Shinichirou's condition. Nanami was shaking and staring down at the floor, and, quite frankly, Ayano didn't think that it would go much further if he continued to talk.

Instead, he folded up the chart and gave Nanami a long look. The nurse blinked and looked up after five minutes of realizing that Ayano wasn't speaking anymore.

"Nanami... maybe you should go home. Or visit Sei-kun and Sunao-kun. But the way that you're worrying yourself staying here, waiting for Shinichirou will only make it harder on him when he wakes up. At least, I'm sure that he wouldn't want you to be doing this to yourself." Ayano said, firmly. Nanami blinked, eyes blank, before nodding and obediently leaving his vigil post.

Following Ayano's suggestion, Nanami first went to see Sei and Sunao. The former still hadn't woken up from, what appeared to be, a catatonia- both Shiina and Kitamura were still with him.

"The doctors told us that he probably won't wake up for a while... they said it was a combination of all the blood he lost, a concussion, and the fact that nobody knows how long it was between the time he lost consciousness and when he was found..." Shiina whispered, his voice shaking and frightened as he held onto one of his friend's hands.

Nanami took a long look at Shiina, Kitamura, and Sei's faces, and couldn't help but still see the children they had been just a few years ago...

At least, however, that he didn't need any machines to keep his breathing steady or his heart beat regular.

Nanami's visit with Sunao was a little less painful, but much more awkward. Sunao spent much of his time looking at the floor, or mumbling things about how the weather was supposed to be nice for the next few days and how Nanami should get out and enjoy it.

Nanami had laughed, somewhat hollowly at that, and Sunao had understood that he wouldn't be able to enjoy anything- not while Shinichirou was still in the hospital.

After a moment, Nanami decided to move, but Sunao began to speak before Nanami could fully leave.

"...Nanami-niichan..." Sunao began and Nanami froze- Sunao hadn't called him that since before Matsuri had moved away.

"...Nanami-niichan, I... there's something I need to ask you to do..." Nanami turned back, barely even thinking what it could be, much less why Sunao was asking it of him, before Sunao explained, "...You're the only one who I can ask for this..."

Nanami carefully walked over and sat down, mostly because he didn't trust his legs not to give out on him.

"...Ore... as soon as the doctors will let me out of the hospital... I'm going to bring Hashiba back."

Nanami blinked, then blinked again, then stared at Sunao with very wide eyes, as though wondering if he'd heard correctly.

"...Fujimori-kun..." He whispered. Sunao had a peaceful smile on his face.

"...I asked Matsuri-chan and Nakou-chan to find a few places where Aizawa might have taken Hashiba... Nagase and Ichikawa-kun went with them to be sure that they wouldn't be caught or that Aizawa wouldn't see them." Sunao added as the look the nurse was giving him was just a little short of horrified.

"Fujimori-kun." Nanami gasped.

"...Dakara... Nanami-niichan... I want you to come with me..." Sunao finally said.

Nanami's jaw dropped.

"...Nanami-niichan... Aizawa has caused you a lot of pain too... and you've lived a long time, afraid of him... and carried that secret all by yourself to protect us... I want you to be able to confront him... and say that you're not afraid of him... and free yourself from whatever he's done to you." Sunao's voice was shaking, but he managed to say everything that he needed to, and it was painfully obvious, as Nanami saw when Sunao looked up and made eye contact, that he was still plainly terrified of Aizawa.

"...Fujimori-kun..." Nanami's voice dropped to just barely a breath of sound. Sunao continued to look at him- just looking, watching, waiting for a 'yea' or 'nay', not staring or trying to intimidate an answer either way.

Nanami was silent for a long moment, staring at his hands, thinking over what Sunao had just said.

...He wanted Nanami to be free of what Aizawa had done to him- both directly and indirectly by using Sora and Sunao in his experiments. That... that almost sounded like what Shinichirou had always been encouraging Nanami to do- instead of running away, do SOMETHING to confront it...

Nanami... had always been bad at that. He'd always been a coward, running away instead of turning to fight...

He'd run away from Aizawa when he was too afraid to continue working... he'd run away from Aizawa when he was to afraid too return to the man's side as a plaything...

He'd run away from Aizawa... and left Sunao in the laboratory... Even when Shinichirou had picked Sora up under his arm... Nanami hadn't done the same for Sunao...

Nanami looked back up, tears forming in his eyes.

"...Alright... Fujimori-kun..." Nanami finally replied. Sunao hesitantly raised one hand, but stopped as he barely brushed Nanami's arm.

"...Nanami-niichan...?" He asked, quietly, as Nanami raised his arm and wiped away his tears on the cuff of his white nurse's coat. His hands were shaking again, but this time... something felt different.

Nanami felt... emboldened... he felt... empowered... just enough that he could tell himself that he could do this.

He would help Fujimori-kun get Hashiba-kun back. He would break his ties with Aizawa. He would... He would...

He would.

* * *

"We found one building which is probably where Sora and Aizawa are right now..." Matsuri said, handing Sunao his camera so Sunao could see the picture taken.

It certainly fit in with all the other laboratories- the building was only one story, but it looked much like an abandoned prison, with heavy double doors, bars on the windows, and ivy growing on the crumbling walls. A fence surrounded the grounds, complete with barbed wires and a sign that read "Private Property- No Trespassing". There was also, just as Nagase had predicted, a generator with wires trailing into the building.

Sunao's insides shuddered.

"That's where Hashiba-kun is..." Nanami whispered, in shock. Matsuri turned to the shaken nurse.

"Daijobu- Nao-kun's going to rescue him." He said with a cheerful wink. Nanami continued to stare at his knees.

"...Watashi mou.." He whispered. Matsuri, Nakou, Ichikawa, and even Nagase looked shocked at this declaration.

"...Watashi... I'm the reason that everyone became involved in this... I need to help Fujimori-kun bring Hashiba-kun back... And I need to confront Aizawa... so he no longer troubles anyone..." Nanami was whispering.

"Sensei..." Ichikawa protested, but Sunao stopped him.

"I asked Nanami-sensei to help me." He said, quietly, "I'll need help to bring Hashiba back... and I think Nanami-sensei deserves this chance..."

Everyone in the room gaped, before Nagase spoke, with a concerned frown.

"Will you two be able to do it?" He asked, and before Sunao could snap in response, continued, "The last time, even Hashiba Sora was still terrified to the point of being controlled- and all father needed to do was turn on a lighter." Sunao glared back down into his lap, "Would you be able to break his control over you, if you needed to?"

Nanami continued to stare at his hands, which hand started to tear the cloth of his doctor's coat, eyes glittering with fearful tears at the mere thought of having to see Aizawa again.

Sunao, on the other hand, set a determined frown on his face.

"I believe we can do it..." Nagase's frown eased, though fractionally, "Hashiba was also able to face Aizawa last time... and tell him, to his face, that he couldn't tell us what to do anymore... If Hashiba could do that for me... I should be able to do the same for Hashiba... or it wouldn't make a difference."

This proclamation was met with blank looks- everyone was getting used to these uncharacteristic speeches from Sunao.

"Soushite... Nanami-sensei... Ran was never afraid of Aizawa. The most he ever felt was a paralyzing anger and disgust that Aizawa could hurt everyone and get away with it... I believe that Nanami-sensei was never really afraid, either... but you always just felt so guilty that you believed you deserved to be hurt by him..."

By the time Sunao was finished speaking, Nanami was gaping at him.

But, at the same time, his posture had shifted, however subtly- instead of hunched over and staring miserably at the floor, he was sitting up straighter, his arms were relaxed at his sides, and his expression was... much less tense.

"Nao-kun..." Nakou and Matsuri breathed, at exactly the same time as Nanami whispered,

"Fujimori-kun..."

"WA-AH! THAT'S THE SPIRIT, FUJIMORI-SENPAI!" Ichikawa broke the silence.

Nakou was blinking at Sunao, before she smiled.

"Wakkatta, Nao-kun..." She finally said. Matsuri turned to glance at her, "We'll stay here and watch over Shinichirou-san until you come back with Sora!" Nakou gave them a similar wink, and Nanami's head swiveled, expression surprised, then grateful.

"I'm allowed out tomorrow- we'll go then..." Sunao mumbled, looking back at the camera, and the group sat down to help plot the rescue mission.

* * *

"Koko da..." Sunao whispered.

Nanami didn't reply.

* * *

Sunao was relieved that he didn't meet Aizawa in the hall as he walked past doors. He and Nanami split up, going from room to room, looking for Sora.

Sunao finally found him, in what he guessed was the east wing.

The room resembled a small surgery lab- a table with trays of instruments was right next to the operation table, and a movable lamp was on the other side.

And Sora...

Sora was laying on the surgery table, staring blankly and unblinking up at the ceiling, not even aware that Sunao was in the room. He only wore one of those white gowns which hung open in front with a tie to keep it shut. It wasn't closed at the moment, however, and Sunao could see every inch of Sora's skin, dotted with bruises and healing punctures where needles had been. Sunao could even see chafe marks on his ankles and wrists, where they'd been bound to the table.

Apparently, they weren't needed, now...

Sunao felt his heart thud painfully between his ribs.

"Hashiba..." He whispered, walking over to the table. Sora didn't move a muscle.

Sunao's hands shook as he lifted them and felt Sora's skin- at least it was still warm.

...But what had Aizawa DONE to him?

"Hashiba..." Sunao breathed, his breath hitching like a hiccup combined with a sob, face contorting.

The glazed look in Sora's eyes didn't fade. One of Sunao's hands clenched at the fabric over his chest.

"Hashiba..." Sunao whispered again, hoarsely, shaking Sora a little, like a child trying to awaken his father. Sora didn't move for a long moment.

Practically crying with frustration, Sunao bent his head against Sora's chest, shoving him a little harder.

"Hashiba... mezama de yo..." Sunao hissed, frantically.

Sora blinked, then groaned.

Sunao looked up, relieved that whatever had happened wasn't permanent- probably just sedation or a drug.

After a few more moments of shaking, by the end of which, Sunao was beginning to panic that Aizawa would be back any moment, Sora was blinking, blearily, around.

"...Fujimori..." He mumbled, hand coming up to touch Sunao's face, as though probing reality to be sure it was really there.

"Aah... it's me, Hashiba..." Suano whispered back, pulling Sora to his feet, "Ikou..."

They had barely made it out the door, before they stopped.

"Are you so eager to escape that you don't consider Nanami's safety important?" Sora froze, pulling Sunao to a stop with him.

Blood going cold, Suano's head turned. Aizawa was behind them both, hands casually in his pockets and Nanami no where in sight.

So... did that mean Aizawa had...?

Or was he just bluffing?

"I thought you'd come, Fujimori Sunao. You always did like causing trouble for everyone..." Aizawa continued. Sora was already shaking so badly that Sunao couldn't hold onto his hand very well- maybe it was still because of the drug in his system, or maybe Aizawa had done a few more treatments during the week he'd been here, but apparently, just the sound of Aizawa's voice was enough to frighten him, now.

"You've caused everyone a great deal of trouble, even now- first these experiments... a lot of time and effort went to waste, both now and last time... then for Hashiba Sora... he had to come and take your place to make up for your mistakes... and yet, you throw that away, too..."

"...Ya... mero..." Sora was whispering, not realizing that the words weren't meant for him. Aizawa could have discussed the economy, politics, or even poetry, and it would have had the same effect. Sunao's knees quaked, before it occurred to him- Aizawa wasn't even close enough to them to touch them, let alone harm them... they simply had to run.

Sunao's face hardened and he gave Sora's arm a sharp enough yank that it woke him up from his stupor. As soon as they started running, it quickly became an alternation of Sora dragging Sunao, neither looking back at the sound of Aizawa's pursuing footsteps, but with every step through the dark corridor, they both felt like they were being run into a corner.

...Somehow, the phrase 'trapped like rats' seemed to be frighteningly appropriate.

It was when the muscle spasm hit that Sunao remembered he'd been told not to run.

Sunao hit the floor, a throbbing pain tearing through his leg where the stitches were. He heard Sora's feet squeak as he spun on the floor.

"Fujimori! Fuji-" But instead of running back, Sora came to a complete halt, staring at something behind Sunao.

"Hashiba, nigite!" Sunao shouted, clutching at his leg. Sora didn't seem to hear him, and as Sunao was yanked to his feet by someone pulling on his hair, he understood why.

"Hashiba!" Sunao kept shouting, before an arm went around his neck, pressing against his throat, making it hard to breathe.

He could see Sora's face returning to that blank look, the glassy appearance returning to his eyes, and he heard Aizawa utter a single command.

"Korose."

Sunao choked. Sora's response was subtle, but still present- Sunao saw his hand clench around a scalpel, one which he must have taken from the tray of instruments.

Sunao's arms went up and struggled to loosen Aizawa's grip on him. Sora's face was still completely void, but his foot shifted slightly, as though taking a fraction of a step forwards.

"...ha... shi... ba..." Sunao's voice was barely a wheeze, but he didn't care.

Sora was going to do it. He was actually going to kill him...

So many things went through Sunao's mind at that moment.

He was going to die.

Hashiba was going to remain here, under Aizawa's control.

Nanami-sensei and Oniichan were never going to know what had happened.

Matsuri-chan and Nakou-chan were going to be waiting for them to come back, even when it would never happen.

...And Hashiba was going to remember this... with a crushing sense of guilt... until the day he went crazy or killed himself.

Sunao's hands were shaking so badly that he couldn't even pull Aizawa's arm off from his neck.

"HANASE!" A new voice screamed, and with a crash of glass breaking, Sunao found himself back on the ground. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Nanami with the remains of a glass jar, beating Aizawa as best he could with a wrist restrained in Aizawa's grip.

Sunao stared, horrified, but still somehow unable to tear his eyes away from the ferocity and rage he saw Nanami attacking Aizawa with- it was something that he'd never seen Nanami do before, as though the kind, motherly, and timid Nanami who had been, just a day ago, almost crying over the prospect of facing Aizawa had been replaced with a rabid monster. Maybe it was the fact that Aizawa had just ordered Sora to kill him, or maybe Nanami had just snapped, but Sunao felt more than disturbed, watching as Nanami smashed the broken glass against Aizawa's face, tearing his skin in a jagged scar. Sunao felt his insides twist further as Nanami started screaming unintelligible things, but what sounded mostly like a chorus of 'I hate you, I hate you, I hate you', but still wholly unlike Nanami.

"...Nanami-chan..." Sora whispered. Sunao stood as best he could on one leg, leaning against the wall, wobbling until he reached Sora. Nanami looked back over his shoulder, long enough to shout at them.

"Dette ke!"

Sora didn't need to be told twice, picking up Sunao under the shoulders and knees, running for the nearest door, collapsing and sliding to a halt just before he reached it. They could still hear Nanami's shrieks and some kind of muffled growl from Aizawa echoing off the walls.

"Hashiba..." Sunao sat up, bracing the other as best he could, "Hashiba... daijobu?" Sora gasped, for breath, the drugs still in his system, as he leaned against Sunao, before haggardly sitting back up.

"Nanami-chan..." Sunao jumped a little, and looked back the way they'd come, "...We need to go back for him..."

"Don't you two dare."

* * *

"Honjou-senpai, Nagase-buchou!" Ichikawa shouted. The two senpais were standing watch for Sunao, Nanami, and, hopefully, Sora, but had moved inside as it started to rain and mist over. Nakou had left to get coffee for everyone, seeing as the hospital had no decent vending machines for that particular drink.

Nagase was the one who ended up being Ichikawa's brace as he stopped to catch his breath.

"Gaku..." He mumbled, puzzled, before Ichikawa had a chance to fully say a full sentence.

"...Ichikawa-kun, what happened?" Matsuri asked, walking over as Nakou returned with cans of coffee.

"...Minato-sensei..." Ichikawa panted, "Minato-sensei's disappeared."

"Nani?" Matsuri demanded, eyes going wide, before he looked out at the rain outside. It wasn't a heavy storm like the one they'd had just a few months ago... but it was still no weather to be out in.

"Did you tell Kozuki-san already?" Nagase asked, providing a shoulder for Ichikawa to lean against as he hyperventilated. Ichikawa managed to nod, but was panicking over where the math teacher could have disappeared to.

Around early morning, the rain began to let up and a mist settled over the ground. Through the mist, they could see smoke rising in the distance, in the direction of the second laboratory. Matsuri and Nakou exchanged a nervous glance, as did Ichikawa and Nagase, but nobody said anything.

An hour later, two people came walking through the fog, one with spiky hair, the other, without.

Shinichirou was leaning heavily against Nanami, limping as he walked, shirt stained with blood from his reopened wound. Nanami was frazzled, and coughing repeatedly, but was otherwise unharmed.

Ayano silently strode out of the hospital, bunny doll on his hand as he smacked it upside his younger brother's head, before escorting the two inside.

Nanami looked pleadingly at the four for a reassuring hint, but was met with very depressed looks. Nanami wilted, then sat down to watch, with them.

Just barely five minutes later, two more figures emerged from the mist.

Sora and Sunao stopped inside the hospital under the door frame- Sora was carrying Sunao, whose leg was bleeding again, both were sopping wet, and smiling, triumphantly.

Matsuri and Nakou grinned.

No words were needed.

* * *

In the middle of the night, after all the doctors had left them, being sure they were okay, Sora's hand stretched out and touched Sunao's whose arm was also extended.

Their heads turned and a single gold eye saw through the darkness and met two bright ruby eyes.

"Yoru..." Ran smiled. Yoru squeezed his hand.

"Ran..." Yoru replied.

"They've grown up..." Ran whispered, eyes glowing with pride.

"...Aizawa never did understand..." Yoru said. Ran tilted his head in curiosity, "...His theories, experiments, theses... all operate on the basis that people are born a certain way and they always maintain the specific type of person they are..."

Ran smiled, partly with reflective serenity, and partly as though he was laughing at Aizawa, wherever he was now.

"...Demo... Sora and Nao..." Ran continued the thought "...They have changed a great deal... the last time... Sunao was with Aizawa, and Sora came to rescue him... wasn't it?'

Yoru and Ran smiled at each other, fingers caressing the other's palm, before Ran spoke again.

"Nao wants to see Sora."

Yoru nodded.

"Ii..."

The colors in their eyes faded.

The smiles on their faces didn't.

* * *

"Sorry you're stuck here a while longer." Masturi said, pouring tea, not sounding sorry in the least.

"It's okay. Where's Nakou-chan?" Sunao asked, accepting the mug, which was full of ice cold tea- but it was better than nothing.

"She's spending the day with her mother, learning how to bake- Nakou-chan told me that the most she can bake is cookies, which usually come out burnt." Matsuri chuckled, but he blushed as though he were admitting something about himself.

"Just like you, huh, Matsuri?" Sora grinned, leaning back against his pillow. Matsuri shot him a sour look.

"Be nice, or I'll dump tea on your head." He warned. Sora just stuck his tongue out.

"Hashiba, he warned you..." Sunao mumbled over his mug.

"Besides, Nakou-chan's still busy with preparations- invitations, dress, everything like that." Matsuri added. Sora and Sunao blinked.

"...Huh?" Sora finally said.

"Just because Nao-kun and Nakou-chan aren't engaged anymore doesn't mean she's not getting married!" Matsuri explained, as though they should have figured that out. Sunao blinked.

"To who?"

Matsuri just chuckled.

Sunao's jaw dropped. Sora's eyes bugged out.

"...Uso!" Sunao finally blurted out.

Sora couldn't reply, because soon, another trio came into the room.

"Sora-niichan!" Sora sat up to see Sei peering around the door- his arm was still in a sling, and he still had a bandage covering the left side of his face, but a wide smile was spread across his face, identical to the ones on the faces of Shiina and Kitamura. With synchronized movements like when they were children, the three entered and found various places to sit.

"Yo, chibi-tachi!" Sora grinned, waving at them. Sei stuck out his lower lip.

"We're also adults now, you know!" He protested, indignantly. Shiina was much more polite.

"Sora-senpai, Suano-senpai, are your injuries recovering well?" He asked. Sunao gave him a small smile.

"Aah. Hashiba and I will be fine in a few weeks. You don't need to worry." He replied.

"Not if Ichikawa-senpai wants to spar again, right Sora-senpai?" Kitamura put in. Sora made a much-put-upon noise.

After the visitors left, Sora turned to Sunao, whom was staring at his blankets with a troubled expression.

"...Fujimori?" He asked. Sunao looked up, then glanced away again.

"...I was just thinking about work... Now that Aizawa's gone, I don't know what I'm going to do for a job... especially since I can't write down on any applications what I've been doing for the past ten years..." Sunao mumbled. Sora's gaze softened, before he climbed out of bed, sitting down next to Sunao on his own mattress.

"Hashiba- get back in your own..." Sunao was cut off as Sora pulled him into his arms.

"...Fujimori... I was just thinking... if you needed a place to stay, since you can't pay your rent anymore... you could stay with me until you got another job..." Sora muttered. Sunao blinked as the offer took him off guard.

"...Hashiba..." Sunao whispered, letting Sora pull him closer, before he heard the other stammer.

"...W-Well... if you don't want to, that's okay too... I'm sure Matsuri would be willing to share an apartment with you, too... or maybe Niichan and Nanami-chan would let you live with them... and I'm pretty certain Nakou wouldn't make you live on the streets, either... I was just saying..."

Sunao chuckled, snuggling against Sora a little, but enough to make him stop babbling.

"...Ii yo, Hashiba..." Sunao replied, "...I don't think I'd feel right if it was anyone else..."

Sora's cheeks went pink, before he let himself be dragged down by Sunao's sleeping weight.

It would be nice, he reflected, to be able to fall asleep like this every night, from now on...

A/N: That's the last action chapter- however, I've officially decided, there's going to be another one coming! Call it an epilogue, call it an OVA, call it an Omake- but whatever you do, call it silly, because that's the point of it.

Wow... I've actually finished a fic... can you believe it?

Translations:

Datte- because

Sore ja nai- That's not it.

Ikou- Let's go. If you see anything with 'Ikou' in this chapter, it means 'Let's go'. Period.

Nigite- The best I could spell it, the other way of saying 'Run'.

Korose- Kill him.

Hanase- Let him go.

Dette ke!- Get out!


	14. Chapter 14

10 years

By Sapadu

A/N: This is it- the end of the fanfic. Thank god it didn't take me... like, years... to get it done. Funny, but this started off as just a weird dream... but for some odd reason... it actually developed a plot, mostly on it's own... Thank you guys for sticking with me throughout this- if you liked this, check out my other fics (They probably think nobody likes them, since this is my first fanfic to break 20 reviews... or, indeed, 10.)

It's been a great ride, and you didn't even lynch me once! I feel so appreciated.

It seems that I don't have to worry about any lawsuits, at least...

* * *

"This is all you own, Fujimori?" Sora asked, as he plopped a relatively empty box down on the kitchen table. In it was a set of plates, bowls, chopsticks, and an alarm clock. 

"I've also got a suitcase with some different clothes in it, and stuff like a toothbrush and soap." Sunao replied, dragging in his mattress and the wire bed frame that it had come on. Sora glared at it.

"...No wonder you never let me come inside- if your apartment was this empty, it would have given it away that you were just being Aizawa's lab rat." Sora mumbled, in disgust. Sunao gave him a warning glance.

"That's why I couldn't have anything else in there- like pictures or things like that. I even gave Nakou-chan the video Hiromu-kun gave me, because if someone had come over for a health inspection or to check up on me, if they'd seen pictures of you or gifts from old classmates, it would have given everything away."

The door shut and there was a clicking noise. Sunao turned and was surprised to see Sora standing behind him with the suitcase. There was a bit of a grim look on his face.

"Hashiba?" Sunao asked. Sora didn't answer, but set the suitcase down and pulled Sunao against his chest. Sunao pushed against him a little, but didn't say anything.

"...Hashiba?"

"Gomen, Fujimori..." He whispered, arms shaking a little. Sunao grimaced, but hugged back.

"...Ii yo, Hashiba... It was my own choice... and everything's okay, now..." He mumbled, still not happy with the memories of the last ten years.

Sora ran his finger through Sunao's long hair, before mumbling.

"...Shouldn't we stop calling each other by our last names?" He asked, curiously, "...Since... we're going to be living together..." Sunao thought about it a bit.

"...Are you saying you want me to call you 'Sora' and Kuu-chan again? Or do you want to call me Sunao?" He mused. Sora pulled away.

Sora blinked at him. Sunao blinked back.

"...That doesn't sound right..." Sora finally concluded, pouting a little.

"...Let's save those names for special occasions..." Sunao added, turning away to unpack his things. Sora looped his arms back around Sunao's waist.

"Mm..." He agreed, "..._Very_ special occasions..."

Sunao was forced to stand straight again as his shirt was pushed up and Sora's hands plied against the lines on his stomach and chest.

"...Ha-Hashiba... d-dame..." He stammered, "We still have-"

"You can unpack later..." Sora purred, lips nibbling on his ear. Sunao's head turned.

"Hashi-" Sunao began to protest, but stopped as he saw the mischievous glitter in Sora's blue eyes, "...Kuu-chan..."

Sora steered them both to his own bed, shedding his own and Sunao's shirt along the way, and Sunao was just grateful that Ran was such a slut for Yoru- something his other self protested, quite heartily- that he wouldn't be sore in the morning.

* * *

"Nao-kun... I know this might be a little awkward, but..." Nakou looked off to the side, pausing as Sunao chewed the bite she'd wheedled him into letting her feed him, "...Well, the wedding is in a few weeks... and I wanted to wait for you to be out of the hospital before I asked... but..." 

Sunao raised an eyebrow at Nakou's uncharacteristic shyness, as she bowed her head and clapped her hands together.

"...Would you please be the best man?"

Sunao blinked, perplexed, before he asked.

"...So, you're doing a Western style wedding? Why don't you want a traditional one?" He frowned, confused. Nakou sat up straight and made a whining noise as she pouted.

"Aw, Nao-ku-un... if it was a traditional wedding, the stuffy go-betweens would have to be there. Besides, we'd have to wear kimonos!"

"Such a horrible fate, that..." Sunao mused, sarcastically. He'd always been fond of kimonos and yukatas... especially since Sora always became so frustrated, trying to remove the garments, while Sunao merely had to shrug his shoulders and the cloth would slide off.

It was always incredibly funny how Hashiba responded when Sunao just smirked at him in those moments.

"But they're so BORING!" Nakou argued.

Sunao changed the subject.

"I'm honored that you would ask me, Nakou-chan. And I would gratefully accept, but could you offer Hashiba a place? Even as an usher or..." Nakou cut him off with a grin.

"Where do you think Matsuri-chan is right now?" As they laughed together, Nakou let out a sigh, "There's just one thing that I'm going to miss doing that I would have been able to do with you, Nao-kun..."

Sunao tilted his head, blinking.

"Nani sore?" He asked. Nakou giggled.

"Go karaoke singing!" She answered. Sunao stared, then grinned.

"Don't worry- If I know Matsuri-chan, you won't miss out on that with him, either."

* * *

"Groomsman? So, is Fujimori going to be a bridesmaid or something?" Sora asked his friend with a smirk. Matsuri wrinkled his nose and gave Sora a withering look. 

"Don't let Nao-kun hear you saying that." He warned, though privately musing it would be kind of funny to ask Sunao, if only for the purpose of how he'd react, "So? Will you? Please?"

Sora stretched and feigned a sigh.

"...Maa... I'd like to help... but do you know how much it costs to RENT formal wear? With a teachers salary, it's not gonna happen..." Sora was making up an excuse, mostly to cover for the fact that, given the wedding would probably be on one of his days off, he wanted to spend that day in bed (whether he would be sleeping would be debatable, given who he was living with again, but either way...)

Matsuri grinned.

"Don't worry- we've already got everyone's formal wear taken care of, to be sure that nobody's clothes clash with someone else's." He assured. Sora's head hit the table with a groan, knowing that Matsuri had him cornered.

* * *

"Shinichirou... we've got an invitation from Honjou-kun..." Nanami noted, looking through their mail. Shinichirou raised his eyebrows and leaned over, carefully, to read the invitation. 

Then, he frowned.

"Why did he write three hundred twenty two at the bottom?" Shinichirou asked, suspiciously. Nanami blinked, then saw a little postscript.

"It also says: P.S.- Nanami-sensei is welcome to wear the bunny ears and tail, in case of any doubts..." He said.

The two blinked at each other before the realization dawned.

* * *

"Bu-chou! Look what we got!" Ichikawa declared, waving the invitation in the air. Nagase calmly extracted it from his lover's hand, and read it, carefully. 

"Honjou is getting married... to Michiya, it seems..." He said, with a note of surprise. Ichikawa peered over Nagase's shoulder, reading along with him, blushing brightly as he noted a similar observation.

"And they want us to come... Demo, won't that be intrusive... Especially since everyone else is going to be in nice clothes and we didn't pack any of that..." Ichikawa mumbled, cheeks going bright pink as he felt Nagase's arm go around his waist in a display of affection that was still quite rare for him.

"Gaku... it also reads that our dress should be costumes for Kaitous 188 and 783." Nagase noted, hand reaching up and turning Ichikawa's face down so their noses brushed, "Would you be too shy to wear those kitty ears out in public?"

Ichikawa's cheeks went from pink to red at the coy smirk on Nagase's face.

"...Buchou..."

* * *

"...Matsuri-chan... this is the REAL reason you two wanted to have a Western wedding, isn't it?" Sunao asked, somewhat disgusted as the three of them gathered at Matsuri's apartment to make sure the 'formal wear' fit properly. 

Sora and Sunao were more than somewhat disgruntled to find their supposed 'tuxedos' were, in fact, the outfits of Kaitou's 848 and 370. Capes and masks included.

"...Matsuri... don't tell me you're..." Sora hissed, sweatdropping.

Matsuri chuckled a little as they saw the hat from Kaitou 322's ensemble peeking out of the closet.

"...He is..." Sunao muttered back.

It was times like this that the two were quite convinced that Matsuri was only still alive because he was, after all, an old childhood friend.

They also were very sure that he knew, and was taking advantage of, that fact.

* * *

Everyone met at the church the next week to rehearse what would happen during the wedding. For some odd reason, perhaps on purpose, or perhaps on accident, Nakou had picked the very church where Chris worked at. 

Sora was thus, prepared with a first aid kit, when Sunao gave him a good-sized lump on the back of his head at the sight of the bespectacled, black-haired man.

"...Sora-kun, are you alright?" Chris asked, as Sora nursed the injury himself while Sunao stomped off in a jealous huff.

"I'll be fine... just... you might not want to talk to me or anything..." Sora mumbled, giving his upset lover a sour look, before dropping his voice, "I told Fujimori that we were dating a few years ago... so I think he's going to be crabby..."

"...Or maybe he's still upset that I tried to exorcise an evil spirit from him the first time we met..." Chris guessed. Sora nodded a little, then stopped as that made his head swim.

"...Mmm..." He agreed, "And thus, he's beating me up because he's not living or sleeping with you..."

"...Sleeping... but Sora-kun I thought... oh..."

Chris blushed, then hurried away to find his Bible.

The spat was forgotten as everyone tried their costumes on for the last time, to make sure that everything was just right for the actual ceremony. Sora and Sunao begrudgingly changed into the colorful, but still highly impractical costumes, while Matsuri laughed at them (though he said he was really laughing WITH them) and good-naturedly dressed in his own cosplay outfit. After surveying each other, Sora suddenly had a thought.

"Wait... what's Nakou wearing?" He asked. Sunao made a face.

"Don't tell me Nakou-chan's cosplaying as the Queen of Hearts again..." He said, looking disgusted. Matsuri snickered, but shook his head. The door opened, then, as Nakou entered to see everyone.

Sora took one look at her dress and immediately burst into snickers. Sunao made a less than pleased face.

"Hashiba. Shut up." He snapped. Sora did his best, but couldn't stop the grin on his face.

Nakou's dress was the same as the princess dress Sunao had been forced into on their first Jack of All Trades 'Job', except significant color changes had been made. Anything that had been red was now a lilac-ish pink, and anything that had been pink was now pale yellow. The white which had covered the shoulders was now removed, so Matsuri turned away, blushing, and a little silvery-gray choker was around her neck.

Nakou was also, of course, wearing a mask, though it didn't seem necessary, given that she would be wearing a veil.

"...Nakou-chan... please tell me this is a joke. Even if it's in very poor taste, please tell me it's a joke." Sunao begged, while Sora's sides began to ache from holding in his laughter for too long.

Nakou tilted her head to the side and smiled, angelically.

Matsuri quickly diverted the subject, wondering out loud where the rest of the entourage was. The idea that more people would be there caught Sora's attention, and Sunao's alarm.

"...Eh? More people?" Sora puzzled, before Matsuri explained.

"Ah- there's the maid of honor, a bridesmaid, flower girl and ring bearer. Shinichirou-san and Nanami-sensei volunteered to be ushers... so we just need to be sure everyone's here..." Matsuri said, and Sunao frowned, slightly.

"Who is the maid of honor... or, for that matter, the flower girl or ring bearer?" He asked, before Nakou filled in the details.

"My niece is going to be our flower girl. And I asked my sister to be the matron of honor, while a high school friend of mine is going to be the bridesmaid. The ring bearer, though..." She trailed of, looking at Matsuri, whom was grinning.

"I asked Ryouya-san if he'd let Kano-kun out of his sight long enough to do that!" Matsuri explained.

"Eeh? Isn't he a little old for that?" Sora asked. Matsuri chuckled, nervously, pressing his index fingertips together so they bounced off each other.

"...Jitsu wa... Ryouya-san said it would give him and Soushi-san an excuse to attend... so I had to send them invitations, too..." And at everyone's puzzled looks, Matsuri continued, "They both want to be there, since Shinichirou-san is, because they want to be able to supervise in case Minato-sensei comes out, and to be sure he doesn't molest any of the pageboys."

"Ah."

* * *

A/N: You know he would, too- don't deny it.

* * *

The day arrived and went about as well as could be expected. The guests all arrived and were in their appropriate seats, shown in by Kaitous 416 and 773. Sora and Sunao were dressed in their own white shirts and capes, Nakou's adorable niece had her basket of flowers, Kano was brushed and polished in a Kaitou cape and mask, which somehow resembled the samurai outfit Sora had worn once, and Nakou was a blushing bride behind her mask and veil. Matsuri appeared to be missing, but Nakou assured them that it was only because he had a surprise entrance, unlike the rest of them. 

Sunao heard her mumbling something about 'the bride needing to be swept off her feet'. It was only when he peeked through the doors and saw the distinguished Michiya-san talking in a businesslike manner with Nagase that dread hit his stomach, for a peculiar reason.

"Nao-kun?" Nakou appeared at his elbow, with her radar for when he was in trouble apparently tingling. Sunao shook himself and managed a smile.

"I hope you have a happy wedding, Nakou-chan..." He said. Nakou tilted her head, before bluntly asking,

"What's bothering you?" She asked. Sunao looked down, guiltily, before glancing at the doors, through which Michiya-san was liable to come in at any moment to play 'Father-of-the-Bride'.

"...It's just... I'm kind of nervous knowing your parents are out there... I'm not sure how well they'd take it if they see Hashiba and I..." His sentence trailed off, but Nakou grinned.

"They're adults, Nao-kun." She said, with a smile, and when Sunao gave her a confused look, she winked, "They can act grown-up enough to behave themselves, just for a day." Sunao's eyebrows raised, but he soon relaxed.

Michiya-san soon came in and the signal came for the procession to begin. Sunao kept himself from feeling too upset as Sora escorted the bridesmaid down the aisle- Sunao had been perplexed to see her wearing his old Odette costume from their production of Swan Lake- followed by himself, escorting Nakou's sister- He had been less perplexed to see that the woman was wearing his Odile gown- and at the end, the assembled waited for Michiya-san to take his daughter down the aisle.

'Where do you think Matsuri is?' Sunao saw Sora mouth. He shrugged a little, but then his eyes caught the rope that was taut from the center of the ceiling, trailing to the back.

As soon as Nakou and her father reached the middle of the aisle, Matsuri came swooping out from behind the curtain that hung over the balcony in back.

The masked Matsuri came swinging down and scooped Nakou up around her waist, landing on his feet at the altar in front. Chris chuckled nervously, wondering how to begin the ceremony with such an awkward transition, while a dazed Michiya-san blinked, still in the middle of the aisle, wondering what exactly had just happened.

"...Oh." All who knew Matsuri whispered in unison.

* * *

Everyone was laughing and smiling as they greeted the married couple with tossed handfuls of rice at the reception. The women in the crowd- who mostly comprised of Nakou's friends and family, as very few of Matsuri's friends and acquaintances knew any women at all- were giggling, crying, and some were throwing flirtatious looks at the crowd of mostly gay men on the other side. Nanami was smiling with glowing cheeks and sparkling eyes while Shinichirou cheered, punching his fist into the air. 

Sora and Sei, being the most immature of the whole crowd, were too busy throwing rice- however, they were doing so deliberately in a fashion where anyone that the rice hit generally shouted out in pain, making it fortunate that their aim was so terrible that Nakou and Matsuri suffered none of their shots- and finally, Sunao had to elbow Sora in the stomach and smack Sei on the head to make them stop.

For the reception, everyone removed their capes and masks, making it easier to move around and dance when the music was finally played. Matsuri and Nakou danced to a slow waltz while Sunao, entrusted with Matsuri's camera, took pictures and the other people in the room gushed about how cute they were together.

Even Sora had to admit it- Matsuri was smiling broadly and his face was glowing with such delight that it was absolutely adorable, and Nakou was blushing and grinning in a similar manner. After the long year they all had had, and, especially in the last month or so, all the drama, horror, and general unhappiness, it was nice to have a special event like this for everyone to laugh, drink, and be merry. And, now that Sora thought about it, Matsuri and Nakou especially had earned this celebration, since they'd both put so much effort into getting him and Sunao back together.

Sunao was reminded of the first time he and Matsuri had been reunited before the experiment with Aizawa and Sora had been put into action- all either of them had been able to do was hug each other and laugh until their sides hurt. Sunao hadn't seen Matsuri since he'd moved away and, at the time, Matsuri had been the only friend who hadn't completely abandoned him or betrayed him- it had almost been a moment that Sunao had wanted to cry and laugh at the same time. Fortunately, at that moment, Matsuri had dragged him into so much activity and excitement that Sunao hadn't had the energy to feel two things at once.

Sunao shuddered and gripped Sora's hand under the table. Sora blinked, looked away from the dancing pair, and gave his own lover a long glance. Sunao smiled, reassuringly, but Sora seemed to understand anyway, because he scooted his chair a little closer.

After the first dance and Nakou's goodbye dance with her father, music was played that other couples could dance to. Sora and Sunao mostly sat by, watching as Nanami and Shinichirou took their turn, drawing plenty of stares.

"It's probably because nobody can figure out if Nanami-chan is a flat-chested girl, or not..." Sora mumbled, and Sunao had to admit he had a point, since Nanami already looked enough like a girl, having his hair down and the feminine coral pink of his Kaitou outfit was probably more than confusing to anyone who didn't know him.

After a few minutes, more people drifted onto the dance floor, including the former chibi-tachi's, who mostly just bounced in a dance club-like manner to the more couple neutral songs, Ichikawa and Nagase- actually, they had the floor to themselves when the time came, as Ichikawa's exuberance was apparently enough to fill the floor by himself.

"Come on, Buchou- we've got to dance!" He could be heard, nagging and pulling on Nagase's wrists halfway across the room, before he'd dragged him out, promptly proceeding to spin him around in a frenzy which could have created a whirlwind.

Nagase looked quite dizzy, perhaps even sick, when he sat down again, leaving Ichikawa still with plenty of energy to burn off, during which time Sei and Kitamura poked, prodded, and teased Shiina to go over and ask Ichikawa for a dance.

Even Shinichirou's brothers got up to dance, Soushi in a polite foxtrot with the bridesmaid and Ayano slow danced with a tiny woman in a kimono with long black hair that just barely touched the floor and golden eyes. When questioned, he immediately started blushing and stammering that Kano-kun had needed a mother figure, growing up.

"In more ways than one, right?" Shinichirou noted, snidely- the oldest of the three brothers almost never got flustered like this, so seeing him so embarrassed was not an opportunity the bratty younger brother was about to pass up. Ayano only went a deeper shade of red, while the woman smiled and leaned over to brush a stray lock of hair on Kano's head back into proper place.

It was well into the evening, with most of the adults at least slightly tipsy from all the champagne and the young flower girl and Kano- whom was more sensible than most high school students and usually went to bed earlier- yawning and leaning against their parents, when Matsuri came bouncing over to their table and poked and prodded at his two childhood friends to dance.

"Sora! Nao-kun! This is an important ceremony for couples- you two have to dance at least once!" Matsuri insisted, trying to tug them out of their chairs, which he eventually succeeded in, but didn't get them much further.

"Oi, stop pushing, Matsuri!" Sora snapped, fighting back.

"Sou da- Matsuri-chan, you know we can't dance!" Sunao added. Matsuri grinned and wouldn't be denied.

"Nakou-chan's putting on a slow song- you just hold each other, sway, and shuffle your feet around." He pressed, and when the two wouldn't budge, Shinichirou came over and shoved them both firmly towards the dance floor.

"It's Matsuri's wedding, so if he says you're going to dance, you're going to dance, God damn it." He hissed, menacingly, and the two men- who suddenly felt like school boys being threatened by their teacher, again- quickly relented.

The dancing actually went pretty well, Sunao's hand resting peacefully against Sora's, fingers intertwined, and the two of them with their chins on the other's shoulders- seeing as Sunao had grown to be at least as tall as Sora. With a slight smile, Sora pulled Sunao closer by his waist, while Sunao smiled back, allowing Sora to close the space between them and weaving his arms around Sora's shoulders.

Nakou's parents watched, disapproving, but unable to intervene, while Matsuri snapped pictures, one-handedly, as the other arm was around his newly wedded wife's waist- Nakou kept using her free hand to direct how he should move the camera to get the best picture, and thus, the best material for blackmail. After two minutes, however, Shinichirou frowned suddenly, and muttered out loud.

"Aren't they dancing too well for two people who claimed they couldn't dance?" He noted. Everyone looked at him, then back at Sora and Sunao, before Sora's hand reached down to a place that generally is not touched, even among the most amorous of couples, at an event such as a wedding reception, and everyone heard a higher pitched voice than Sunao's purring,

"Yoru..."

A giant sweatdrop appeared over everyone's heads.

* * *

Because Matsuri and Nakou were used to walking everywhere, they'd opted not to have the typical 'Just Married'-mobile for people to tie cans to or spray with shaving cream. Instead, Matsuri simply scooped his 'ohime-sama' up in a bridal fashion and was about to walk away, before Nakou remembered something. 

Sunao, woozy from too much champagne, didn't notice until he heard Matsuri's voice.

"Nao-kun, heads up!"

"Huh?" Sunao stumbled backwards as Nakou's bouquet hit him square in the face, plopping into his arms as he straightened. Face going red, Sunao shoved the bouquet at Nanami.

"Nanami-sensei, you can have it."

Nanami blinked, confused, but didn't argue, taking the wedding bouquet without a word, as Sunao wouldn't have even heard it.

As they watched the Honjou-duo walk off, everyone had their own parting words, but the last five were the most memorable.

"I can only imagine the devilish children those two will raise..." Sora grumbled, as Sunao elbowed him in the ribs.

"It will be nice that those two will be able to have a family..." Nanami mused, smiling.

"Matsuri should be a good father..." Shinichirou pondered, grinning.

"And Nakou-chan will probably be a good mother..." Sunao agreed, before Chris, also watching, suddenly said, out loud.

"I wonder who they'll take after..."

The other four slowly turned their heads and gave Chris a very long, very strange look.

* * *

A/N: Ha ha- it's funny because Matsuri and Nakou look exactly alike.

* * *

"It was nice to attend a ceremony and reception like that." Nanami said, putting his hair into it's old ponytail as he and Shinichirou changed for bed, "And it was kind of Honjou-kun to have his wedding as a cosplay theme- to be able to reuse those costumes was a lot of fun." 

Shinichirou made a noncommittal noise, simply walking around Nanami and putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm glad you had a good time today." He said, softly. Nanami smiled.

"You too... It wouldn't be fair of me to enjoy something if you wanted to stay at home..." Shinichirou's eyes gleamed as a beam of moonlight streamed through the curtains.

"Good thing then..." He mumbled, "That I'm not picky about what I enjoy..."

Nanami didn't blush.

"Shinichirou..." He whispered, truly touched at his lover's attempt to be romantic.

Shinichirou softly kissed his lips without another word.

* * *

Ichikawa was yawning by the time they made it back to their hotel. Nagase efficiently put away the coats and cosplay gear, before Ichikawa sat down on the bed, drowsily. 

"...Are you waiting for me?" Nagase asked, in a less than teasing voice. Ichikawa's eyes opened wide at the question.

"...I-ie... Buchou, you don't need to rush..." He said, shyly. Nagase strode over giving Ichikawa a surveying glance-over.

"I wouldn't be offended if you went to sleep, you know." Nagase reminded Ichikawa, who blushed again.

"Demo... after something like today... Buchou, are you sure you wouldn't want to at least..." Nagase interrupted him by plucking the cat ears off Ichikawa's head.

"I'm not your 'Buchou' anymore. You could call me 'Kai', if you wanted to." Nagase teased, and as Ichikawa's face went red, Nagase smirked, took his glasses off, and leaned down, just a little bit more.

* * *

"Fujimori... you're okay that we'll probably never be able to do something like that... are you?" Sora asked as they reached their shared apartment, freeing themselves from the less than comfortable Kaitou costumes. Sunao just shrugged. 

"What makes you think that I wouldn't be?" He asked, rolling the cape up and putting it into a box- Matsuri had insisted they keep their own costumes.

"...Well... It just occurred to me how everyone was staring at us... Niichan and Nanami-chan... Matsuri and Nakou... and chibi-tachi... they didn't seem to mind, but all of Nakou's family kept looking at us like... even before we started dancing..." Sora finally managed to convey, which made Sunao pause, before he returned to his undressing for bed.

"I was kind of worried about that in the beginning, too, Hashiba..." He confided, somewhat relieved that even Sora had been nervous about the homophobia of Nakou's guests, "But Nakou-chan told me something, just before the wedding began: They're adults. They can act grown-up enough to behave themselves, just for one day."

Sora stared, openly- he was already in a pair of pajama bottoms, waiting for Sunao to finish his pre-bedtime rituals.

"Nakou-chan's always been like that... kind of how Matsuri-chan was always like that... the attitude of not caring what other people think- just as long as it doesn't hurt anyone and someone is happy... So, why should we care what other people think?" Sunao finally concluded. It was, Sora could say, much nicer than the cold, heartless discussion Sunao had had with him during his engagement.

"...I guess... seeing all the romantic stuff that happened today... kind of reminded me of that Valentine's Day when we tried to pair Niichan and Nanami-chan up..." Sora mumbled, and Sunao snorted.

"'We', Hashiba?" He asked, teasing.

Sora rolled his eyes.

"Okay... I tried to... but when I failed each time, and Nanami-chan told us that Niichan wouldn't do romantic crap like that... I guess I kind of wondered if someday you'd say the same thing about me... because I wouldn't really want to go through a whole mushy ceremony or anything like that..." Sora confessed, looking down at his feet. Sunao sighed, almost as though he was exasperated, but wasn't.

"...The ceremony wasn't really something I'd want to repeat... and I wouldn't need any sappy vows before an altar to know you care about me, Hashiba..." He said, folding up his shirt before arms encircled his waist, making his skin shudder and his knees go weak, as Sora's hand rested on his hip while the other slid up and down his thigh.

"...Ha... Hashiba..." Sunao whispered, before lips touched his neck.

"I thought we had this worked out... or don't you love me as much, anymore... Nao?" Sora's voice, dropped an octave, but still not sounding like Yoru, purred.

Sunao's breath caught as the fingertips of Sora's hand tickled the inside of his leg, making it shiver with tickles.

"...k... Kuu... chan..." Sunao whispered, breathlessly, as Sora smiled against his shoulder.

* * *

"It's a nice day for this time of year." Matsuri mentioned, as Sunao poured some properly warm tea. The two couples were under a maple tree, watching the leaves change colors, but mostly just chatting about life overall. 

"Nao-kun, you've found a job right?" Nakou asked, taking plates out of the basket she'd brought- who knew what was inside it. Sunao smiled, leaning against Sora a little.

"Soushi-san's letting me work as a secretary for a while. After a few years, Nanami-sensei wants to retire from being the school nurse, and by that time, I'll have been working a legitimate job long enough that it won't look suspicious on a resume." Sunao said, as Sora's arm around his shoulders tightened.

"You'd never make it. It's hard enough getting you up on time to get to Soushi-san's office at nine- forget seven thirty." Sora teased, rubbing his nose against Sunao's hair, as one of Sunao's hands came up to bat him away, half-heartedly.

"Says you, Hashiba."

By this time, Nakou had unpacked and served what she'd had in the basket- four different desserts, each an individual serving. A miniature apple pie, a lone strawberry mochi, a single-serving size peach cobbler, and an individual cherry strudel.

Sora stared at the four plates, and Nakou raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't poison them, I'll have you know- That's why Kaa-san and I spent so long in the kitchen, learning how to bake." She said. Matsuri chuckled, then took Nakou's hand in his.

"Sore ja nai..." He said, with a smile, "When we were kids, we had a little talk about what our favorite desserts were- Sora's was strawberry mochi, Nao-kun's was apple pie, and mine was peach cobbler."

Nakou's eyes lit up, first with a glowing kind of happiness, then mischief.

"So, does that mean I get the cherry strudel all to myself?" She asked. Matsuri laughed, and put his arm around her waist, pressing a kiss into her hair.

The four of them enjoyed the afternoon air for a few hours more. But, during that time, Sora couldn't help but reflect- it was just like they'd promised each other as kids: They still had each other, even after all that had happened. Even in the times when things had been rough for one of them, the other two had still had each other to lean on until they all were okay. They were all sitting together, having their favorite desserts together, like a tea party. The only difference was that one person more was with them.

But, Sora reflected, as Matsuri gratefully accepted a forkful of cobbler that Nakou fed him, and Sunao snuggled against him, that wasn't such a bad thing, in the long run.

A/N: Le gasp! There is HET in the Sukisho universe! Seriously, if you watch the series, its like there aren't even women IN that merry little Gayland.

Yes, I do firmly believe that if Matsuri was in charge of wedding planning, he WOULD do this. Tell me honestly- you don't think he WOULDN'T, do you?

Other notes to make: The bit about Ayano's wife- that's a cameo of Setsuka from X/1999, based on an RP I'm in- in which I played 'Tsuka-chan, another girl played Ayano, and they... fell for each other. It was so much crack, seriously...

In a spin-off of the Sukisho series, called Mou Matte, in which the player controls Ichikawa, there's two prospects- Nagase, and Ren Shiina, whom has a crush on Ichikawa. That's where the thing about Shiina asking Ichikawa to dance comes from.

When brainstorming how this fic would end, I originally had it condensed down so that Sora would figure out why Sunao's been acting so strange, then everyone would get together and go to rescue Nao-kun, including a scene where Nakou enters the building and gives them a bento to give to Sunao under pretense that she's worried about him, as his fiancé, but really it was just a disguised way to get the message to Sunao "Fujimori, we're coming to rescue you". Everyone storms the place, the Matsuri-duo take their pictures, Shinichirou takes out a hand gun and goes trigger-happy, and Sora breaks down a door and charges in for a final confrontation while Nanami waits out in the hall as back-up.

I'm glad I decided against it. Though, I do miss the idea of involving Aizawa's fear in it- I had the idea that Sunao would turn his own research against him and use what he fears to get an upper hand, but decided it would be overkill. Aizawa was supposed to be afraid of spiders- in this case, tarantulas.

The line about Ran being a slut for Yoru- also from an RP. It made me laugh so much, I HAD to include it.

As far as my understanding goes, in Target Nights, Chris DID try to exorcise Sunao when they first met. If my information source is flawed, let me know.

I used the game art to find out the EXACT colors of their costumes, and Nanami's is indeed coral- a very reddish shade of pink. However, I liked the anime better with Nanami wearing the bunny ears and tail, while Sora and Nao's outfits had sleeves (Lucky Shinichirou and Matsuri- THEIR costumes barely got changed at all)

The reason why Sora is glad that Nakou is there is because, otherwise it would be Sora and Nao, the happy couple, with Matsuri, the third wheel. Whereas when they were kids, they were all friends in a perfectly balanced triangle, and that was the end of that. Now, with the two of them in love, with Nakou there, Matsuri isn't completely alone, out in the cold. A nice little circle. And... I don't know, but I like Nakou-chan... She's a nice little OC who isn't REALLY an OC, because she's supposed to be kind of a reflection of Matsuri... so... technically, there are TWO of them... that's all...

The line in chapter 11, when they're discussing Toushizou- I've learned recently that 'Pink Elephants' is a euphemism for getting drunk, or alcohol in general. So, when I watched Sukisho again and saw Toushizou, my only thought was 'This kid's gonna LOVE the booze when he gets older'.

And, also concerning chapter 11, in my minds eye, I just pictured the morning after for Matsuri and Sora's drinking binge and one-night stand, and I'd like to share it with you, just for the laugh:

Sora: Ow... my head...

Matsuri: ...Sora... what are you...

Sora: O.O ...

Matsuri: O.o...

Sora: ...We never speak of this again...

Matsuri: Good idea...

Lessee... Any other little details I need to bring in? Or have I covered everything?

Ah, hell... why not? I now challenge you, my readers, to go back and re-read the whole fic and see if you can't pick out the subtle little hints of all the big stuff that happens, such as Nakou hinting that she and Nao might NOT get married, Sunao's work, Matsuri and Nakou falling in love, etc. Go on- I dare ya!

A final thank you to Nico 15- my first reviewer- Tsubame- whom has given me helpful feedback with practically each and every chapter- Winter Shadow Wolf- if you're still reading this- kiyoshi kiia- for frequently correcting my sometimes abysmal spelling and grammar- Neko Twilight- hopefully, nothing made you go 'ew' in any of these last chapters- Moonlight- the first to arrive to the 'ending of fic' party- and Nao Hashiba- I hope the idea of the OC getting Matsuri-chan didn't turn you off TOO much. It's been a fun ride, and half of the fun for me was getting reviews from you guys and reading what you had to say. I shall miss you!

And, just so you know- I was so tempted to NOT post this... I didn't want it to end...


End file.
